For the purpose of this ordinance, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ALLEY. A strip of land, public or private, generally for the purpose of providing a secondary access to a lot, block, or parcel of land.
AS-BUILT PLANS. Revised construction plans in accordance with all approved field changes.
BLOCK. An area of land within a subdivision that is entirely bounded by streets, highways, or ways, except alleys, and the exterior boundary or boundaries of the subdivision.
BUILDING LINE or SETBACK LINE. A line established in a plat for the purpose of prohibiting construction of any portion of a building or structure between that line and any easement, right-of-way, or other public area.
BUILDING PERMIT. An authorization issued by the Building Inspector to move, erect, or alter a structure within the city.
CAPTION. The name by which the plat is legally and commonly known.
CITY BUILDING INSPECTOR. The Building Inspector of the city or his or her authorized representative.
CITY CLERK. The City Clerk of this city.
CITY COUNCIL. The City Council of this city.
CITY ENGINEER. The staff engineer or consulting engineer retained by the city.
CLEAR VISION ZONE. The triangular area, at all corners of intersecting roads or road junctions, defined by: the point of intersection of the right-of-way lines, and the line drawn between 2 points extended along those right-of-way lines, within which area no obstruction to vision shall exist, in accordance with the provisions of § 156.36(Q)(6) of this code.
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT. A planned commercial center providing building areas, parking areas, service areas, and turning movement.
COUNTY DRAIN COMMISSIONER. The County Drain Commissioner’s Office.
COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT. The County Health Department.
COUNTY PLAT BOARD. The County Plat Board.
COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION. The County Board of Road Commissioners.
DEDICATION. The intentional appropriation of land by the owner to public use.
EASEMENT. A grant by the property owner of the use of a strip of land by the public, a corporation, or private person or persons for a specific purpose or purposes, to be designated as a public or private easement depending on nature of use.
ESSENTIAL SERVICES. The erection, construction, alteration, or maintenance by public utilities or municipal departments or commissions of underground, surface, or overhead gas, electrical, steam, or water transmission or distribution systems, collection, communication, supply, or disposal systems, including mains, drains, sewers, pipes, conduits, wires, cables, fire alarm boxes, traffic signals, hydrants, towers, poles, and other similar equipment, and accessories in connection therewith, as shall be reasonably necessary for the furnishing of adequate service by those public utilities or municipal departments or commissions or for the public health or general welfare, but not including buildings other than those buildings as are primarily enclosures or shelters of the above essential service equipment.
FLOODPLAIN. The area of land adjoining the channel of a river, stream, watercourse, lake, or other similar body of water which will be inundated by the greatest flood that can be reasonably expected for that area (100-year interval).
GOVERNING BODY. The City Council of this city.
GREENBELTS or BUFFER PARKS. 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.
IMPROVEMENTS. Any additions to the natural actual state of the land which increases its value, utility, or habitability. IMPROVEMENTS include street pavements, with or without curbs and gutters, sidewalks, water mains, storm and sanitary sewers, street trees, and other appropriate and similar items.
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT. A planned industrial area designed specifically for industrial use.
LAND USE PLAN. The land use plan for the city, including graphic and written proposals indicating the general location and recommendations for land use, streets, parks, public areas, and all physical developments existing or proposed for the city.
LOT. A parcel of land of at least sufficient size to meet minimum zoning requirements for use, coverage, and area, and to provide those yards and other open spaces as herein required. The LOT shall have frontage on an approved public street, or on a private street as defined in § 151.024 of this code.
(1) A single lot of record;
(2) A portion of a lot of record;
(3) A combination of contiguous lots of record, or contiguous portions of lots of record; and
(4) A parcel of land described by metes and bounds.
LOT DEPTH. The horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines, measured along the median between the side lot lines.
LOT OF RECORD. A lot which is part of a subdivision recorded in the office of the County Register of Deeds, or a lot or parcel described by metes and bounds, the description of which has been so recorded.
LOT WIDTH. The horizontal distance between the side lot lines, measured at the 2 points where the building line or setback line intersects the side lot lines.
OUTLOT. A lot in a subdivision which is restricted from use for building purposes, whether or not deeded to the city, but which is not dedicated as a street or public reservation or private park. An OUTLOT cannot be built on unless it conforms to this ordinance.
PARCEL or TRACT. A continuous area or acreage of land which can be described as provided for in the Subdivision Control Act, Public Act 288 of 1967, being M.C.L.A. §§ 560.101 - 560.293.
PERFORMANCE BOND GUARANTEE. Any bond acceptable by the City Council in lieu of a requirement that certain public improvements be made by the developer prior to approval of a final plat, including performance bonds, escrow deposits, and other similar collateral or surety agreements; which bond will be payable to the governmental body upon failure of the faithful performance of the condition upon which the subdivision plot was approved, which payment shall be made on demand after 1 full year after recordation of the final plat.
PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT. A land area which has both individual building sites and common property, such as a park, and which is designated and developed under 1 owner or organized group as a separate neighborhood or community unit.
PLANNING COMMISSION. The City Planning Commission of this city.
PLANNING CONSULTANT. The Planning Consultant retained by the City Planning Commission or the City Council to make recommendations on methods to provide for the orderly future development of the city; also referred to as CITY PLANNER.
PLAT. A map, drawing, or chart which depicts the plan of the proposed subdivision of land and which is drawn in accordance with the regulations hereinafter stated.
(1) FINAL PLAT. A map of a subdivision of land made up in final form ready for approval and recording in conformance to the requirements of the Subdivision Control Act and this ordinance.
(2) PRELIMINARY PLAT. A map showing the salient features of a proposed subdivision of land submitted to an approving authority for purposes of preliminary consideration, prepared in conformance with the Subdivision Control Act and this ordinance.
(3) PRE-PRELIMINARY PLAT. An informal plan or sketch drawn to scale and in pencil, if desired, showing the existing features of a site and its surroundings and the general layout of a proposed subdivision.
PUBLIC OPEN SPACE. Land dedicated or reserved for use by the general public. It includes parks, parkways, recreation areas, school sites, community or public building sites, streets and highways, and public parking spaces.
PUBLIC RESERVATION. A portion of a subdivision which is set aside for public use, made available for public use, or made available for public acquisition.
PUBLIC UTILITY. Any person, firm, corporation, municipal department, or board duly authorized to furnish and furnishing under municipal or state regulation to the public: transportation, water, gas, electricity, telephone, steam, telegraph, or sewage disposal.
PUBLIC WALKWAY or PEDESTRIAN WAY. A public right-of-way dedicated for the purpose of a pedestrian access.
REPLAT. The process of changing, or the map or plat which changes, the boundaries of a recorded subdivision plat or part thereof. The legal dividing of an outlot within a recorded subdivision without changing the exterior boundaries of the outlot is not a REPLAT.
RESERVE STRIP. A strip of land in a subdivision which extends across the end of a street proposed to be extended by future platting or a strip which extends along the length of a partial width street proposed by future platting to the minimum permissible width.
RIGHT-OF-WAY. Land reserved, used, or to be used for a street, alley, walkway, or other public purposes.
ROADWAY. The portion of the road right-of-way measured between curb faces.
SEWER. A public sanitary sewage disposal system approved by the State Department of Health.
SHALL. The act referred to is always mandatory and not merely directory.
STREET. A right-of-way which provides for vehicular and pedestrian access to abutting properties.
(1) ALLEY. A strip of land dedicated to public use, generally for the purpose of providing vehicular access to the rear or side of properties to which the principal access is provided by an abutting street.
(2) COLLECTOR or SECONDARY STREET. A street used to carry traffic from minor streets to major thoroughfares, including principal entrance streets to large residential developments.
(3) CUL-DE-SAC. A minor street of short length having 1 end permanently terminated by a vehicular turnaround.
(4) DEAD-END STREET. A street with only 1 end open to vehicular traffic and not provided with a vehicular turnaround at the other end.
(5) FREEWAY. A street designed for high-speed, high-volume through traffic, with completely controlled access, no grade crossings, and no private driveway connections.
(6) MAJOR THOROUGHFARE or ARTERIAL STREET. Those streets and highways which are used as through routes for large volumes of traffic and which have considerable continuity within the municipality and the region beyond.
(7) MARGINAL ACCESS STREET. A local street which is parallel and adjacent to arterial streets and which provides access to abutting properties and protection from through traffic.
(8) MINOR or LOCAL STREETS. Those streets which are used primarily for access to abutting properties and which have limited continuity.
STREET RIGHT-OF-WAY WIDTH. The shortest distance between the lines delineating the boundaries of the right-of-way of streets.
SUBDIVIDE or SUBDIVISION. The partitioning or dividing of a parcel or tract of land by the proprietor thereof or by his or her heirs, executors, administrators, legal representatives, successors, or assigns for the purpose of sale, or lease of more than 1 year, or a building development, where the act of division creates 5 or more parcels of land each of which is 10 acres or less in area, or 5 or more parcels of land each of which is 10 acres or less in area are created by successive divisions within a period of 10 years.
SUBDIVIDER, PROPRIETOR, or DEVELOPER. Any person, firm, or corporation, estate, trust, or other group or combination acting as a unit, which divides or proposes to divide land so as to constitute subdivision as defined herein. This definition shall be construed to include any agent of the SUBDIVIDER. The PROPRIETOR is also commonly referred to as the OWNER.
SUBDIVISION CONTROL ACT. The Subdivision Control Act, Public Act 288 of 1967, as amended, being M.C.L.A. §§ 560.101 - 560.293.
SURVEYOR. Either a land surveyor who is registered in this state as a registered land surveyor or a civil engineer who is registered in this state as a registered professional engineer.
TOPOGRAPHIC MAP. A map showing existing physical characteristics with contour lines and sufficient intervals to permit determination of proposed grades and drainage.
WATER RESOURCES COMMISSION. The Water Resources Commission of this state.
ZONING ORDINANCE or CHAPTER 157. Chapter 157 of this code, the zoning ordinance of the city, adopted as Ord. 19, ser. 2, on June 17, 1974, in accordance with the provisions of Public Act 207 of 1921, as amended, being M.C.L.A. §§ 125.581 - 125.590, and which is now in effect as the zoning ordinance of this city.