As used in this Code, words used in the present tense include the future; the singular number includes the plural and the plural includes the singular; the word "lot" includes the word "plot" and the word "building" includes the word "structure". In addition:
(a) "Accessory use" and "accessory building" mean a use or building which is customary in Hunting Valley and clearly incidental to a principal, residential use and which is located on the same lot with such use and building.
(b) "Basement" means a portion of a building, partly or wholly underground, but having more than fifty percent (50%) of its height below the average finished grade of the adjoining ground and with a floor-to-ceiling height of not less than six and a half (6 ½) feet.
(c) "Building ground coverage" means the horizontal area of ground covered by a building or series of buildings interconnected by a roof as measured by the vertical projections of the outermost wall surfaces of the building and generally expressed as square feet or a percentage of total lot area.
(d) "Dwelling Unit" means one (1) or more connected rooms constituting a separate, independent housekeeping establishment containing independent cooking, bathing, toilet, and sleeping facilities for an individual or group of individuals living together as a single housekeeping unit, and which is physically separated and inaccessible from any other rooms or dwelling units.
(e) "Established grade" means the elevation of the edge of the roadway as determined by the Village Engineer.
(f) "Family" means one (1) or more persons occupying a dwelling unit and living as a single housekeeping unit, provided that if not all of the members are related by blood, marriage, adoption or guardianship, the maximum number of such non-related members of the family shall be four (4). Domestic servants, employed upon the premises, may be housed on the premises without being counted as members of the family.
(g) "Front yard" means an open, unoccupied space on the same lot with a building, which is located between the front line of the building and the front line of the lot.
(h) "Ground coverage" means the horizontal area of ground covered by a building or structure as measured by the vertical projections of the outermost wall surfaces of a building or the greatest perimeter of a structure and generally expressed as square feet or a percentage of total lot area. This calculation shall not apply to structures such as boundary fences, driveways, entry gates and gateposts, lamp posts and similar structures customarily or appropriately located within the vicinity of the property line, but shall include structures such as garages, toolsheds and other outbuildings; decks, patios, terraces, swimming pools, tennis courts, and paddle tennis courts.
(i) "Height" of a building means the vertical distance measured from any point at the established grade, to the level of the highest point of the roof. Where no roof beams exist or there are structures wholly or partly above the roof, the height shall be measured to the level of the highest point of the building.
(j) "Least dimension of a yard" means the least of the horizontal dimensions of such yard. If two (2) opposite sides of a yard are not parallel, the horizontal dimensions between them shall be deemed to be the mean distance between them.
(k) "Lot" means a parcel of land which may be occupied by a building and the accessory buildings or uses customarily incident to it, including such open spaces as are required by this chapter and such open spaces as are arranged and designed to be used in connection with such building.
(l) "Natural grade" means the elevation of the undisturbed natural surface of the ground adjoining a building.
(m) "Nonconforming use" means a use that does not comply with the regulations of the use district in which it is situated.
(n) "Protected watercourse" means any watercourse or flood plain within the Village of Hunting Valley having a defined bed and bank and that is identified on the map prepared by Chagrin River Watershed Partners, a copy of which is attached to original Ordinance 2008-124 and is also on file with the Building Inspector of the Village. Said map is a reference document and shall be used as a guide only. The setback from the protected watercourse shall be measured from the ordinary highwater mark along its banks.
(o) "Public notice" or "notice of a public hearing or proceeding" means ten (10) days prior written notice of the time and place of a public hearing or proceeding, to be posted at the Village Hall.
(p) "Rear yard" means an open, unoccupied space on the same lot with a building, between the rear line of the building and the rear line of the lot.
(q) "Side yard" means an open, unoccupied space on the same lot with a building, situated between the building and the side line of the lot and extending through from the street or from the front yard to the rear yard or to the rear line of the lot. Any lot line not a rear line or a front line shall be deemed a side line.
(r) "Single-family dwelling" means a free-standing building containing a single dwelling unit designed for or used for residence purposes by a single housekeeping unit.
(s) "Solar Energy System" means a system of photovoltaic cells and related accessories that are designed to covert solar energy into electrical energy; or a system consisting of solar thermal collectors, parabolic reflectors, or similar structures that are designed to harness solar energy for use as thermal energy for heating water or air or for some other permitted use; and may include battery storage systems on the property.
(t) "Street line" means the dividing line between a street and a lot.
(u) "Driveway or private road" means every way or place in private ownership used for vehicular travel by the owner and those having express or implied permission from the owner but not by other persons; a "driveway" is the means of accessing a single residence, a "private road" is the means of accessing driveways from a public right of way. (Ord. 2023-6. Passed 6-15-23.)