Chapter 16.110
DEFINITIONS
Sections:
16.110.010 Definitions.
Whenever the following words and phrases appear in this title, they shall be given the meaning attributed to them by this chapter. When not inconsistent with the context, words used in the present tense include the singular; the word “shall” is mandatory, and the word “may” indicates a use of discretion in making a decision.
“Access road” means a public street providing vehicular access to the boundary of a parcel of real property being proposed for development.
“Alley” means a strip of land dedicated to public use providing vehicular and pedestrian access to the rear side of properties which abut and are served by a public road or street.
“Block” means a group of lots, tracts or parcels entirely surrounded by public streets, public lands, railroad rights-of-way, watercourses, or other well defined and fixed boundaries.
“City” means the city of Battle Ground, Washington.
“City engineer” means the person appointed by the city manager to review engineering aspects of land subdivision and development plans, or his designee.
Collector Arterial. Unless otherwise defined by the city’s transportation plan, a collector arterial is a public street whose function is to collect traffic from neighborhoods and local streets and which connects to another public street of equal or greater classification. A collector arterial also may provide direct access to adjacent properties.
“Comprehensive plan” means the current comprehensive plan of Battle Ground adopted by the city council pursuant to state law.
“County road” means a road maintained for public travel by Clark County.
“Cul-de-sac” means a dead-end street of limited length having a primary function of serving adjoining land, and constructed with a turn-around at its end.
“Dedication” means the deliberate appropriation of land by an owner for any general and public uses, reserving to himself no other rights than such as are compatible with the full exercise and enjoyment of the public uses to which the property has been devoted. The intention to dedicate shall be evidenced by the owner by the presentment for filing of a final plat or short plat showing the dedication thereon; and the acceptance by the city shall be evidenced by the approval of such plat for filing by the city council.
“Dedication plat” means a plat which indicates property to be dedicated for public right-of-way or land for public use.
“Development” means any subdivision, short subdivision, rezone, construction requiring a building permit, conditional use permit or other project requiring a land use permit or approval from the city.
“Easement” means a nonownership interest in land; a grant by a property owner to specific persons or to the public for a specific purpose or purposes such as ingress, egress and for utilities.
“Flag lot” means a tract or lot of land of uniform dimensions in which the portion fronting on a street is less than the required minimum width for construction of a building or structure on that lot but leads from the access point to a lot with proper dimensions for building.
“Final plat” means the final drawing of a subdivision and, as applicable, dedication, prepared for filing for record with the county auditor and containing all elements and requirements set forth in Chapter 58.17 RCW and this title.
“Local access” means a street whose primary function is to provide direct access to adjoining properties and which serves a limited area only, usually a neighborhood.
“Lot” means a fractional part of divided lands having fixed boundaries, being of sufficient area and dimension to meet minimum zoning requirements for width and area. The term shall include tracts or parcels.
“Lot, double-frontage” means a lot with street frontage along two opposite boundaries.
“Lot frontage” means the width in linear feet of a lot where it abuts the right-of-way of any street.
“Lot width” means the distance between side lot lines measured at the regulatory/required front building line.
“Major arterial” means unless otherwise defined by the city’s transportation plan, a major arterial is a street connecting two or more towns or communities, connecting two highways of equal or greater capacity, or serving as the primary access to a large land area. A major arterial may also serve a large traffic generator (e.g., an industrial area) and perform a secondary function of providing local access.
“Modification” means a grant of relief from the strict requirements of this title which permits construction in a manner that would otherwise be prohibited by this title; a minimal relaxation or modification of the strict terms of this title as applied to specific property when, because of particular physical surroundings, shape, or topographical condition of the property, compliance would result in practical difficulty; or a grant of relief from the strict requirements of this title due to a proposed project not being able to meet specifically identified comprehensive plan policies and objectives.
“Person” means and includes firms, corporations, associations and agents of persons.
“Planning commission” means the Battle Ground planning commission, as created per Chapter 2.28 BGMC.
“Planning director” means that employee of the city charged with the responsibility for administering and enforcing land development regulations in the city.
“Plat” is a map of a short plat, short subdivision, and subdivision together with written certificates, dedications where appropriate, and data.
“Preliminary plat” means a neat and approximate drawing of a proposed subdivision showing the general layout of streets and alleys, lots, blocks, and other elements of a subdivision consistent with the requirements of this title. The preliminary plat shall be the basis for the approval or disapproval of the general layout of a subdivision.
“Reservation” means a method of holding land for future public use by dedicating public areas on a subdivision plat.
“Resubdivision” means the further division of a lot or lots within a subdivision previously approved and recorded.
“Secondary arterial” means a public street connecting two or more roads of equal or greater classification, or connecting two or more communities. A secondary arterial may serve as an alternate route to higher classified road or a traffic generation of medium importance, and serves an additional function of land service.
“Short plat” means the division or redivision of land into two lots, tracts, parcels, sites, or divisions for the purpose of sale, lease or transfer of ownership, except for those revisions meeting the definition of “short subdivision” or “subdivision” contained in this chapter. Short plats are those that can be administratively approved in an expedited fashion by the planning director.
“Short subdivision” means the division or redivision of land into three to nine lots, tracts, parcels, sites or divisions for the purpose of sale, lease, or transfer of ownership.
“Sidewalk” means a hard surfaced pedestrian access area adjacent to or within the right-of-way of a public road.
“Subdivider” means a person, including a corporate person, who undertakes to create a subdivision.
“Subdivision” means the division or redivision of land into ten or more lots, tracts, parcels, sites, or divisions for the purpose of sale, lease or transfer of ownership, except for those divisions or redivisions meeting the definition of “short subdivision” contained in this chapter.
“Survey discrepancy” means a boundary hiatus, an overlapping boundary, or a physical appurtenance which indicates encroachment, lines of possession or conflict of title. (Ord. 20-08 § 2, 2020; Ord. 12-19 § 8, 2012; Ord. 99-008 § 1(C), 1999; Ord. 98-023 (part), 1998; Ord. 95-769 § 4 (part), 1995)