For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ALLEY. A public or private right-of-way shown on a plat which provides secondary access to a lot, block or parcel of land.
AS-BUILT PLANS. Revised construction plans in accordance with all approved changes made in the field.
BLOCK. An area of land within a subdivision that is entirely bounded by streets, highways or ways, except alleys, or the exterior boundary or boundaries of the subdivision.
BOARD. The Township Board of Hopkins Township.
BUILDING LINE or SETBACK LINE. A line parallel to a public right-of-way or private street easement line, property line, 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 a street easement or right-of-way, property line, other public area, the shore of a lake or the edge of a stream or river bank.
CAPTION. The name by which the plat is legally and commonly known.
COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT. A planned commercial center providing building areas, parking areas, service areas, screen planting and widening, turning movement and safety lane roadway improvements.
COUNTY DRAIN COMMISSIONER. The Allegan County Drain Commissioner.
COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT. The Allegan County Health Department.
COUNTY PLAT BOARD. The Allegan County Plat Board.
COUNTY ROAD COMMISSION. The Allegan County Road Commission.
CROSSWALKWAY or PEDESTRIAN WALKWAYS. Right-of-way, dedicated to public use, which crosses a block to facilitate pedestrian access to adjacent streets and properties.
DEDICATION. The intentional appropriation of land by the owner to public use.
ENGINEER. Any person who is registered in the state as a “professional engineer”.
FLOODPLAIN. That area of land adjoining the channel of a river, stream, watercourse, lake or other similar body of water which will be inundated by a flood which can reasonably be expected to occur once in 100 years for that area.
MASTER PLAN. The basic plan, as amended from time to time, adopted by the township pursuant to M.C.L.A. §§ 125.321 through 125.333, as amended. Such plan may include all or any part or parts of the elements described M.C.L.A. §§ 125.321 through 125.333, as amended and may include maps, plats, charts and descriptive, explanatory and other related matter.
GOVERNING BODY or TOWNSHIP BOARD. The Township Board of the Township of Hopkins.
GREENBELTS or BUFFER PARKS (OPTIONAL). 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 structure, physical change or other undertaking incidental to servicing or furnishing facilities for a subdivision such as grading, street surfacing, curb and gutter, driveway approaches, sidewalks, crosswalks, 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. A planned industrial area designed specifically for industrial use providing screened buffers, wider streets and turning movements, and safety lane roadway improvements, where necessary.
LOT. A measured portion of a parcel or tract of land which is described and fixed in a recorded plat.
(1) LOT DEPTH. The horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines, measured along a line midway between the side lot lines.
(2) LOT WIDTH. The horizontal distance between the side lot lines measured at the setback line and at a right angle to the lot depth.
MAJOR THOROUGHFARE PLAN. The part of the Master Plan which describes the existing street system in the township and outlines future street planning needs.
MICHIGAN LAND DEVELOPMENT ACT. M.C.L.A. §§ 560.101 et seq.
OUTLOT. When included within the boundary of a recorded plat, an OUTLOT is a lot set aside for purposes other than a building site, park or other land dedicated for public use or reserved for private use.
PARCEL or TRACT. A continuous area or acreage of land which can be described as provided for in the Michigan Land Division Act, being M.C.L.A. §§ 560.101 et seq., as amended.
PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT. A land area to be planned, developed, operated and maintained according to an approved plan as a single entity and containing one or more residential clusters and one or more public, quasi-public, commercial or industrial areas in such ranges, ratios or relationships of non-residential to residential uses as specified by ordinance. (Also, see Ch. 157 of this code of ordinances.)
PLANNING COMMISSION. The Hopkins Township Planning Commission as established pursuant to Public Act 268 of 1959, as amended.
(1) FINAL PLAT. A map of a subdivision of land made up in final form ready for approval and recording.
(2) PRELIMINARY PLAT. A map showing the important features of a proposed subdivision of land submitted to an approving authority for purposes of preliminary consideration.
(3) SKETCH 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.
PROPRIETOR, SUBDIVIDER or DEVELOPER. A natural person, firm, association, partnership, joint venture, corporation or combination of any of them, which may hold any recorded ownership interest in land. The PROPRIETOR is also sometimes referred to as the OWNER.
PUBLIC OPEN SPACE. Land dedicated or reserved for use by the general public, including without limiting the generality of the foregoing, parks, parkways, recreation areas, school sites, community or public building sites, streets and highways, and public parking spaces.
PUBLIC UTILITY. Any person, firm, association, corporation, partnership, joint venture or municipal or other public authority or combination of any of them providing gas, electricity, water, steam, telephone, telegraph, storm sewers, sanitary sewers, transportation or other services of a similar nature.
REPLAT. The process of changing the map, or plat changes, of the boundaries of a recorded subdivision plat or part thereof. The legal dividing of an outlot within a recorded subdivision plat without changing the exterior boundaries of the outlot is not a REPLAT.
RIGHT-OF-WAY. A street, alley, thoroughfare, easement or strip of land used, or intended to be used, for pedestrian or vehicular access or other public purposed by the general public and not reserved for the exclusive right of any individual.
SIGHT DISTANCE. The unobstructed vision on a horizontal plane along a street centerline form a driver-eye height of three and three-fourths feet and an object height of six inches.
STREET or ROAD. A right-of-way which provided for vehicular and pedestrian access to abutting properties.
(1) ARTERIAL STREET. Those streets of considerable continuity which are used or may be used primarily for fast or heavy traffic. ARTERIAL STREETS may include major county and minor county primary roads as shown on the Township Thoroughfare Plan, as amended.
(2) COLLECTOR STREET. Those streets used to carry traffic form minor streets to arterial streets, including principal entrance streets to large residential developments. COLLECTOR STREETS may include major county primary and minor primary roads as shown on the Township Thoroughfare Plan, as adopted.
(3) CUL-DE-SAC. A minor street of short length having one end terminated by a vehicular turn-around.
(4) EXPRESSWAY. Those streets designed for high speed, high volume traffic, with full or partially controlled access, some grade crossings but no driveway connections.
(5) FREEWAY. 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. 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. A street which is intended primarily for access to abutting properties.
(8) PARKWAY. A street designed for non-commercial, pleasure oriented traffic moving at moderated speeds, between and through scenic areas and parks.
(9) STREET WIDTH. The shortest distance between the lines delineating 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 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. Either a land surveyor who is registered in the state as a registered land surveyor or a civil engineer who is registered in the state as a “registered professional engineer”.
TOPOGRAPHICAL MAP. A map showing existing physical characteristics with contour lines at sufficient intervals to permit determination of proposed grades and drainage.
TOWNSHIP. The Township of Hopkins.
(Prior Code, Ch. XXXIII, § 2.2) (Ord. 2-2004, passed 8-9-2004)