For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ACCESS. The means by which property is connected to a public street. ACCESS to/from TXDOT facilities must be approved by TXDOT prior to approval of a plat. ACCESS to/from nonresidential property through or to residential streets must be avoided.
AMENDING PLAT. A subdivision plat that reflects changes to an original filed final plat.
ARTERIAL SYSTEM. The roadway system comprised of major and minor arterials.
BENCHMARK. A monument that is part of a leveling network and is a point of precisely measured elevation. See MONUMENT.
BUILDING. Any structure that encloses a space used for sheltering any occupancy. Each portion of a building separated from other portions by a firewall shall be considered a separate building.
CITY ATTORNEY. The attorney employed as City Attorney of the city.
CITY COUNCIL. The duly and constitutionally elected governing body of the city.
CITY MANAGER. The person employed as the chief administrative officer of the city, and duly appointed by the City Council.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. The plan and adaptations, thoroughfare plan, bikeway plan, future land use plan, gateways and corridors, amendments or supplements thereto, adopted by the City Council and used as a guide for future development of the city and surrounding areas.
CONCEPT PLAN. The initial project layout that provides an opportunity to review and evaluate the impact of a proposed development on the character of the surrounding area in which it is proposed to be located. The process takes into consideration the general form of the land before and after development, as well as the spatial relationship of the proposed structures, open space, landscape areas, parking, and general access and circulation patterns as they relate to the proposed development and the surrounding areas.
COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT. The duly and constitutionally elected governing body of Bell County, Texas.
COVENANT. A private legal restriction on the use of land contained in the deed to the property or otherwise formally recorded.
DENSITY. The number of dwelling units per acre in a residential development.
DEVELOPER. Any person or persons, firm or corporation subdividing or developing a tract or parcel of land to be sold or otherwise marketed.
DEVELOPMENT. Any activity initiated or directed to improve real estate and requiring a permit from a city, county, or government agency, including without limitation intensive brush and or tree removal of a significant amount.
EASEMENT or PUBLIC UTILITY EASEMENT. A strip of land reserved for public use by the grantor and accepted by the city for the installation and maintenance of utility lines, improved drainage infrastructure, or for other city or public services or for access to property. The ownership or title to the land encompassed by the easement being retained by the owner.
(1) ACCESS OR PASSAGE. EASEMENT, as defined above, for the purposes of pedestrian and/or vehicular mobility between parcels or through a parcel.
(2) PEDESTRIAN. EASEMENT, as defined above, for the purposes of pedestrian traffic (i.e., for sidewalks, bike paths).
(3) VEHICULAR. EASEMENT, as defined above, for the purposes of vehicular traffic.
ENGINEER. A person duly authorized and licensed under the provisions of the Texas Engineering Practice Act (V.T.C.A., Tex. Occupations Code Ch. 1001), as heretofore or hereinafter amended, to practice the profession of engineering.
ENGINEERING DRAWINGS. Engineering drawings support and provide greater detail to a plat. ENGINEERING DRAWINGS typically, where applicable, include, but are not limited to, water layout, sewer layout, drainage and topography, street light layout, street plan and profile sheets, sewer main plan and profile, water utility details, sewer utility details, paving details, drainage details, erosion and sedimentation control plan and standard construction details. ENGINEERING DRAWINGS shall be prepared, signed, and sealed by a Texas Licensed Professional Engineer and shall conform to the general requirements and minimum standards of design and requirements as presented in this chapter.
EXTRATERRITORIAL JURISDICTION (ETJ). Under the terms of V.T.C.A., Tex. Loc. Gov't Code Ch. 42, the unincorporated area, not a part of any other city, which is contiguous to the corporate limits of the city, the outer boundaries of which are measured from the extremities of the corporate limits of the city outward for a distance of two miles, except where it overlaps the ETJ, of other municipalities. Such overlaps are apportioned by mutual agreement with the other municipalities, adopted by resolution and shown on the official ETJ map.
FLAG LOT. A large lot not meeting minimum frontage requirements where access to the public road is by a narrow 30 foot wide strip of land which is part of the lot. Flag lots should be avoided if at all possible.
INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS. Any public facility, service or amenity, constructed to sustain a proposed land use activity. INFRASTRUCTURE includes, but is not limited to, streets, alleys, sidewalks, crosswalks, sanitary sewers, sewage lift stations, septic tanks or other sewage facilities to include water mains, water systems, drainage culverts, lined channels, storm sewers, bridges, streetlights and fire hydrants.
LAY DOWN OR RIBBON CURB. A curb constructed of concrete that is a lower height to promote drainage, allow access onto property or into a driveway or allows for handicap access to a sidewalk.
LOT. A physically undivided tract or parcel of land having frontage on a public street and which is, or in the future may be, offered for sale, conveyance, transfer, lease or improvement, which is designated as a distinct and separate tract and which is identified by a lot number or tract symbol on an approved subdivision plat which has been officially recorded.
(1) CORNER LOT. A lot abutting two or more streets at their intersection.
(2) DOUBLE FRONTAGE LOT. A lot that fronts and backs on two streets.
(3) LOT DEPTH. The average depth of the lot.
(4) LOT FRONT or FRONTAGE. That portion of a lot or tract of land which is the principal side of a property and which abuts on a public street. This shall be the same side in which direction a building will face and the side on which there is the main entrance.
(5) LOT WIDTH. The average width of the lot.
MAINTENANCE BOND. Bond or letter of credit guaranteeing against defects in public roads, utilities, drainage features or other public infrastructure for a specified time period following the approval of the final plat by the city.
MAY. Deemed permissible.
MONUMENT. A reference point, line or plane used as a basis for measurements.
OPEN SPACE. A public or common ownership property designated for a recreation area, private park, building setback and ornamental areas open to general view within the development. OPEN SPACE does not include streets or alleys.
PARCEL. A tract of land owned and recorded as the property of the same persons or controlled by a single entity.
PAVEMENT WIDTH. The width from the back of curb to the back of curb of a street.
PERFORMANCE BOND. A surety bond posted by a developer guaranteeing full performance as specified in plans approved by the city with the proceeds to be used by the city to complete the improvements on the plans in the event of the developers nonperformance.
PERSON. Any individual, association, firm, corporation, governmental agency, partnership or political subdivision.
PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSION. A board comprised of citizens of the city appointed by the City Council as an advisory body, charged to recommend changes in the zoning and other planning functions as delegated by the City Council.
PLAT. A map of a subdivision showing the location and boundaries of individual parcels of land subdivided into lots, with streets, alleys and the like, and drawn to scale. As used in this chapter, a PLAT includes final plats, replats, amending plats and minor plats.
RESERVE STRIP OR PARCEL. Any lot, tract, parcel, strip or any other land which prohibits access from public or private tracts or parcels of land dedicated or intended to be dedicated to public use.
RE-SUBDIVISION. The replacement of all or a part of a recorded plat with a new plat which alters the lines within the perimeter boundary of the previous plat.
RIGHT-OF-WAY. A strip of land dedicated to the public for public streets or to accommodate access and/or utilities to lots or tracts.
SERVICE LINES, PRIVATE. That portion of the utility service line from the property line at the right-of-way to the structure itself.
SERVICE LINES, PUBLIC. That portion of the utility service line that is completely contained within the right-of-way.
SHALL. Deemed as mandatory.
SIDEWALK. A paved pedestrian walkway constructed within a street right-of-way and generally parallel to the street.
SITE DEVELOPMENT REVIEW COMMITTEE (SDRC). A committee consisting of representatives from various city departments, impacted public entities, and private utility companies which reviews plats and development proposals for compliance with applicable codes and ordinances.
STREET, ROAD, or ROADWAY. A way for vehicular traffic, whether designed as a street, highway, thoroughfare, parkway, throughway, road, avenue, boulevard, lane, place or other designation. See § 154.37 for specific standards associated with the different classifications of streets. Streets may be classified as follows:
(1) ALLEY. A narrow public passage easement or minor public right-of-way which provides a secondary means of vehicular access to abutting property and which is used primarily for vehicular traffic to the rear or side of properties which otherwise abut on a public street.
(2) CUL-DE-SAC. Street with only one outlet which terminates in a vehicular turnaround at the other end.
(3) DEAD-END. Street with only one outlet but with no vehicular turnaround at the other end.
(4) FRONTAGE or SERVICE ROAD. Usually parallel to a major arterial (highway), designed to reduce the number of driveways and streets that intersect the highway.
(5) INTERNAL STREET. Street within a subdivision that begins at an intersection and ends in a cul-de-sac or dead-end, or connects to the same street of origin. This street does not provide for the through movement of traffic.
(6) MAJOR ARTERIAL. High volume streets with multiple lanes which facilitate travel between major destinations or activity centers, as well as long-distance traffic that goes through or bypasses an area. These are limited access roads on which no driveway access for single-family or two-family residential lots may be allowed.
(7) MAJOR COLLECTORS. Streets generally located along borders of neighborhoods and within commercial areas to collect and to channel this traffic to the arterial system. These are limited access roads on which no driveway access for single-family or two-family residential lots may be allowed.
(8) MINOR ARTERIALS. High volume streets with multiple lanes which facilitate traffic into and between major arterials. These are limited access roads on which no driveway access for single-family or two-family residential lots may be allowed.
(9) MINOR COLLECTORS. Streets generally located within subdivisions or between subdivisions to collect traffic from residential streets and to channel this traffic to major collectors or arterials. Residential lots may front on these streets.
(10) PRIVATE ROAD. A roadway that is not dedicated for public use nor accepted by the city for maintenance. A private road typically provides access to two or more properties or structures.
(11) RESIDENTIAL or LOCAL STREETS. Streets whose primary function is to serve individual residential lots. They carry low traffic volumes at low speeds.
(12) RURAL ROAD. Streets that serve individual residential lots and carry surface water runoff via bar ditches. Rural roads shall not serve individual residential lots which are smaller than one-half acres per lot. They carry low traffic volumes at low speeds.
STRUCTURE. Anything that is built or constructed with a roof covering.
SUBDIVISION. Any division of land for which a plat is required to be approved and recorded under the provision of V.T.C.A., Tex. Loc. Gov't. Code, § 212.004. This includes the division of land situated within the corporate limits of the city, or within the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, into two or more parts for any purpose no matter how it is conveyed. However, it does not include the division of land into parts greater than five acres where each part has access and no public improvement is being dedicated. No subdivision of land within the city or its extraterritorial jurisdiction may be recorded with the County Clerk until a final plat, accurately describing the property to be subdivided and platted, has been approved by the city in accordance with this chapter, signed and dated by the Mayor, Chair of the Planning and Zoning Commission and/or other designated officers of the city.
(1) MAJOR SUBDIVISION. Any subdivision consisting of five or more lots and/or a subdivision requiring extension of municipal facilities. MAJOR SUBDIVISIONS may incorporate more than one phase of development.
(2) MINOR SUBDIVISION. A subdivision of four or fewer lots fronting on existing streets and not requiring the creation of any new street or extension of municipal facilities.
SURVEYOR. A licensed state land surveyor or a registered professional land surveyor, as authorized by the Professional Land Surveying Practices Act (V.T.C.A., Tex. Occupations Code, Ch. 1071).
TEXAS COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY (TCEQ). The environmental agency for the state.
THOROUGHFARE PLAN. The plan of major and secondary streets and highways, which is the part of the comprehensive plan adopted by the City Council.
(Ord. 2010-08, passed 3-9-10; Am. Ord. 2012-21, passed 10-9-12; Am. Ord. 2022-49, passed 9-13-22)