§ 30-6. Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Alley means a publicly controlled right-of-way not more than 30 feet wide affording only secondary means of vehicular access to abutting lots and land which is not intended for general traffic circulation.

As-built plans means construction plans revised as necessary to reflect all approved field changes.

Block means an area of land within a subdivision that is entirely bounded by streets, except alleys and/or the exterior boundary of the subdivision.

Building line or setback line means a line parallel to a street right-of-way, shore of a lake, edge of a stream or river bank, established on a parcel of land or on a lot for the purpose of prohibiting construction of a building between such line and the street, other public area, the shore of a lake or the edge of a stream or river bank.

Caption means the name by which the plat is legally and commonly known.

Commercial development means a planned commercial center providing building areas, parking areas, service areas, screen planting and widening, turning movement and safety lane street improvements.

County drain commissioner means the Ottawa County Drain Commissioner.

County health department means the Ottawa County Health Department.

County plat board means the Ottawa County Plat Board.

County road commission means the Ottawa County Road Commission.

Crosswalkway and pedestrian walkway mean a right-of-way, dedicated to public use, which crosses a block to facilitate pedestrian access to adjacent streets and lots or parcels of land.

Dedication means the intentional appropriation of land by the owner to public use.

Floodplain means those lands zoned or classified as being in a F floodplain district or flood risk region pursuant to appendix A of this Code, or other applicable ordinance.

Greenbelt and buffer park mean a strip or parcel of land, privately restricted or publicly dedicated as open space, located between incompatible uses for the purpose of protecting and enhancing the residential environment.

Improvement means any structure incident to servicing or furnishing facilities for a plat such as grading, street surfacing, curb and gutter, driveway approaches, sidewalks, crosswalkways, water mains and lines, sanitary sewers, storm sewers, culverts, bridges, utilities, lagoons, slips, waterways, lakes, bays, canals and other appropriate items, with appurtenant construction.

Industrial development means a planned industrial area designed specifically for industrial use providing screened buffers, wider streets and turning movement and other safety street improvements, where necessary. The term "industrial development" shall include industrial parks.

Land division act means Public Act No. 288 of 1967 (MCL 560.101 et seq., MSA 26.430(101) et seq.), as amended.

Land use plan means the township land use plan, as amended.

Legal record means the circumstance where the legal description of a lot or parcel of land has been recorded as part of a document of record in the county office of the register of deeds.

Lot means a measured portion of a parcel or tract of land which is described and fixed in a recorded plat.

Lot depth means the horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines, measured along the median between the side lot lines.

Lot width means the horizontal distance between the side lot lines measured at the setback line and at right angles to the lot depth.

Outlot, when included within the boundary of a recorded plat, means a lot set aside for purposes other than a building site, park or other land dedicated to public use or reserved for private use.

Parcel and tract mean a continuous area or acreage of land which can be described as provided for in the land division act, as amended.

Planned unit development means a land area which has both individual building sites and common property, such as a park, and which is designated and developed under one owner or an organized group as a separate neighborhood or community unit.

Plat means a map or chart of a subdivision of land.

(1)

Final plat means the final map of a subdivision of land in form ready for final approval and recording.

(2)

Preliminary plat means a map showing the salient features of a proposed subdivision of land submitted to an approving authority for purposes of preliminary consideration.

(3)

Prepreliminary plat means an informal plan of a proposed plat prepared and submitted in accordance with section 30-41.

Proprietor, subdivider and developer mean any person who may hold any recorded or unrecorded ownership interest in land.

Public open space means land dedicated or reserved for use by the general public. It includes, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, parks, parkways, recreation areas, school sites, community or public building sites, streets and public parking spaces.

Public utility means any governmental unit, board or commission, or any person (under public regulation if a private agency), furnishing to the public transportation, water, gas, electricity, telephone, steam, telegraph, sewage disposal or other essential public service.

Replat means the process of changing and also the map or plat which changes the boundaries of a recorded plat or part thereof. The legal dividing of an outlot within a recorded plat, without changing the exterior boundaries of the outlot, is not a replat.

Right-of-way means land reserved, used or to be used for a street, alley or other public purpose.

Sight distance means the unobstructed vision on a horizontal plane along a street centerline from a driver-eye height of 3¾ feet and an object height of six inches.

Street means a publicly controlled right-of-way which affords principal means of access to abutting property, including any avenue, place, way, drive, lane, boulevard, highway, road or other thoroughfare, except an alley.

(1)

Arterial street means those streets designated major arterial in the township general development plan as amended from time to time.

(2)

Collector street means those streets used to carry traffic from minor streets to arterial streets, including principal entrance streets to large residential developments.

(3)

Cul-de-sac means a minor street of short length having one end terminated by a vehicular turn-around.

(4)

Expressway means those streets designed for high speed, high volume traffic, with full or partially controlled access, some grade crossings but no driveway connections.

(5)

Freeway means those streets designed for high speed, high volume through traffic, with completely controlled access, no grade crossings and no private driveway connections.

(6)

Marginal access street means a minor street which is parallel and adjacent to arterial streets and which provides access to abutting properties and protection from through traffic and not carrying through traffic.

(7)

Minor street means a street which is intended primarily for access to abutting properties.

(8)

Parkway means a street designed for noncommercial, pleasure-oriented traffic moving at moderate speeds, between and through scenic areas and parks.

(9)

Street width means the shortest distance between the lines delineating the right-of-way of the street.

Subdivide and subdivision mean the partitioning or dividing of a parcel or tract of land by the proprietor thereof, or by his heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, successors or assigns for the purpose of sale, or lease of more than one year, or of building development, where the act of division creates five or more parcels of land each of which is ten acres or less in area; or five or more parcels of land each of which is ten acres or less in area are created by successive divisions within a period of ten years.

Surveyor means either a land surveyor who is registered in this state as a registered land surveyor, or a civil engineer who is registered in the state as a registered professional engineer.

Topographical map means a map showing existing physical characteristics, with contour lines at sufficient intervals to permit determination of proposed grades and drainage.

Water resources commission means the water resources commission of the state department of natural resources.

(Comp. Ords. 1987, §§ 17.021, 17.022; Code 1991, § 13-6)

Cross reference

Definitions generally, § 1-2.