Chapter 18.04 DEFINITIONS

Chapter 18.04
DEFINITIONS

Sections:

18.04.010 Tense and number.

The present tense includes the future tense; the future tense includes the present tense; the singular number includes the plural number; and the plural number includes the singular number. [Ord. 204 § 18.08.010, 1974.]

18.04.020 Word interpretation.

The word “may” is permissive; and “shall” is mandatory. “Lot” includes the word “plot,” “parcel,” “tract,” or “site”; and “building” includes the word “structure.” “City” shall mean the City of Everson, Washington; “County” shall mean Whatcom County, Washington.

The Administrator shall review and determine any questions involving the proper interpretation of any terms, words, or phrases not mentioned herein. [Ord. 501 § 30, 1996; Ord. 204 § 18.08.020, 1974.]

18.04.030 Specific definitions.

“Alley” means a public right-of-way, not greater than 30 feet in width, which affords a secondary access to abutting property.

“Block” means a group of lots, tracts, or parcels within well-defined and fixed boundaries.

“Building setback line” means a line parallel to the front property line in front of which no structure shall be erected. The location of such line shall be determined from the regulations of the zoning ordinance of the City of Everson.

“City Engineer” means the duly appointed City Engineer for the City of Everson.

“City Treasurer” means the duly elected Treasurer for the City of Everson.

“Cluster subdivision” means a subdivision in which minimum lot size requirements may be diminished so as to provide desirable open space without increasing the overall density of dwelling units per acre as provided in the zoning ordinance of the City of Everson.

“Commission” means the Everson City Planning Commission.

“Controlling corner” means all angle points of the perimeter of a subdivision or separate division of a subdivision.

“Council” means the City Council of the City of Everson.

“County Assessor” means the duly elected County Assessor for Whatcom County.

“County Auditor” means the duly elected County Auditor for Whatcom County.

“County Engineer” means the duly appointed County Engineer for Whatcom County.

“County Treasurer” means the duly elected Treasurer for Whatcom County.

“Covenant” means a binding and solemn agreement made by two or more individuals, parties, etc., to do or keep from doing a specified thing or things.

“Dedication” means the deliberate appropriation of land by an owner for any general and public uses, reserving to himself no other rights such as are compatible with the full exercise and enjoyment of the public use 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 a short plat showing the dedication thereon; and the acceptance by the public shall be evidenced by the approval of such plat for filing by the appropriate governmental unit.

“Easement” means a grant by the property owner for use by the public, corporation, or person(s) of a parcel of land for specified purposes.

“Environmental impact statement” means a written statement prepared in accordance with State regulations (Chapter 43.21C RCW) which contains a determination of environmental significance of the proposed subdivision.

“Existing street” means a presently traveled way with a minimum width of 18 feet of hard surfacing irrespective of whether it has been accepted by the City for maintenance. A hard-surfaced street shall be a street consisting of either Portland cement or asphaltic concrete as a wearing surface.

“Greenbelt” means a parcel of land usually of strip or ribbon shape left in an undeveloped and natural state, excluding all development, except recreation.

“Health Department” means the Bellingham-Whatcom County Department of Health.

“Lot” means a fractional part of subdivided 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 of land.

1. “Corner lot” means a lot which abuts on two or more intersecting streets.

2. “Interior lot” means a lot which has frontage on one street only.

3. “Through lot” means a lot other than a corner lot abutting more than one street.

“Lot-averaged subdivision” means a subdivision where the minimum lot size may be reduced while ensuring that the average lot size within the subdivision conforms to the minimum lot size requirement for the zoning district.

“Metes and bounds” means a description of real property which starts at a known point and describes the bearings and distances of the line forming the boundaries of the property and is completed when the description returns to the point of beginning.

“Monuments” means an object used to permanently mark a surveyed location. The size, shape and design of the monument is to be in accordance with standards specified by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources as authorized by Chapter 58.17 RCW.

“Open space” means a parcel of land excluding building sites, parking area and access routes which is designated and maintained as an area for leisure, recreation and other activities normally carried on outdoors. “Open space” shall include greenbelt and recreational area.

“Pavement width” means the actual paved surface measured between faces of curbs of streets or from edge to edge of alley road surface.

“Pipe stem lot,” sometimes called a “flaglot” or “panhandle” lot, is defined as a parcel of land which resembles a rectangle with a lot taken out of a corner or corners leaving the remainder with considerably less width on the front lot line than the width at the rear of the parcel.

“Planning Commission” means the Everson Planning Agency established pursuant to Chapter 2.36 EMC.

“Plat” means a map or representation of a subdivision showing thereon the division of a tract or parcel of land into lots, blocks, streets and alleys or other division and dedications.

1. “Preliminary plat” is a neat and approximate drawing of a proposed subdivision showing the general layout of streets and alleys, lots, blocks, and restrictive covenants to be applicable to the subdivision which shall furnish a basis for the approval or disapproval of the general layout of a subdivision.

2. “Final plat” is the final drawing of the subdivision and dedications prepared for filing for record with the County Auditor and containing all elements and requirements set forth in this chapter.

3. “Short plat” is the map of representation of a short subdivision.

“Plat certificate” means a title report by a title insurance company certifying the ownership, deed restrictions, covenants, etc., of the land being subdivided.

“Public Health Official” means the District Health Officer, Bellingham-Whatcom County Department of Health.

“Right-of-way” or “R/W” means a strip of land dedicated to and maintained by the City for street and utility purposes and on a portion of which a street is built.

“Short subdivision” means a division of land into four or less lots, tracts, parcels, sites or subdivisions.

“Street” means a dedicated and accepted public right-of-way for vehicular traffic. The word “street” includes the words “road,” “drive,” or “boulevard.”

1. “Arterial street” means an existing or proposed roadway designated an arterial by ordinances of the City, or a roadway carrying more than 1,500 vehicles per day.

2. “Collector street” means a roadway designed to carry medium volumes of vehicular traffic; provide access to the major street system, and collect the vehicular traffic from the intersecting minor street.

3. “Local or minor access street” means a street providing vehicular access to abutting properties.

4. “Cul-de-sac” means a street intersecting another street at one end and permanently terminated by a vehicular turn-around at the other end.

5. “Marginal access street” means a street which is parallel to and adjacent to a major arterial; which provides access to the properties abutting it and which separates the abutting properties from high-speed vehicular traffic.

6. “Accepted street” means a street that has been accepted for maintenance. Usually any street that has or had been improved to the prevailing minimum City standard is regarded as an accepted street. The City has pledged that the accepted streets will be kept in repair and maintained at no expense to the abutting property owners.

“Subdivider” means any person, firm or corporation who subdivides or develops any land deemed to be a subdivision as herein defined.

“Subdivision” or “long subdivision” means a division or resubdivision of land into five or more lots, tracts, parcels, sites or divisions.

“Utilities Superintendent” means the duly appointed Director of the City of Everson Public Works Department. [Ord. 783 § 4, 2017; Ord. 204 § 18.04.030, 1974.]