For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
BLOCK. A piece of land bounded on one or more sides by streets or roads.
BUFFER STRIP. A strip of land which shall be a minimum of 20 feet in width and may be composed of evergreen bushes, trees or anchor shrubs that at least two rows are provided from the ground to a height of five feet within six years and foliage overlaps within six years, or a barrier constructed of stone, block, brick or other suitable building material, with a minimum height of five feet.
BUILDING SETBACK LINE. A line parallel to the front property line in front of which no structure shall be erected. Setbacks shall be figured from the right-of-way line.
DEDICATION. A gift, by the owner, or a right to use of land for a specified purpose or purposes. Because a transfer of property rights is entailed, a DEDICATION must be made by written instrument, and is completed with an acceptance.
EASEMENT. A grant by the property owner of a strip of land for a specified purpose and use by the public, a corporation or persons.
HALF-STREET. A street whose centerline coincides with a subdivision plat boundary, with one-half the street right-of-way width being contained within the subdivision plat.
LOT. Includes the words PLOT, PARCEL or TRACT. A LOT is a portion of a subdivision, or any other parcel of land, intended as a unit of transfer of ownership or for development or both. LOT types are as follows.
(1) CORNER LOT. A lot located at the intersection of two or more streets. A lot abutting on a curved street or streets shall be considered a CORNER LOT if straight lines drawn from the foremost points of the side lot lines to the foremost point of the lot meet at an interior angle of less than 135 degrees.
(2) INTERIOR LOT. A lot other than a corner lot with only one frontage on a street.
(3) LOT OF RECORD. A lot which is part of a subdivision, a plat of which has been recorded in the office of the Register of Deeds of the county prior to the adoption of this chapter, or a lot described by metes and bounds, the description of which has been so recorded prior to the adoption of this chapter.
(4) REVERSED FRONTAGE LOT. A lot on which the frontage is at right angles or approximately right angles (interior angles less than 135 degrees) to the general pattern in the area. A reversed frontage lot may also be a corner lot, an interior lot or a through lot.
(5) SINGLE-TIER LOT. A lot which backs upon a limited access highway, a railroad, a physical barrier or another type of land use and to which access from the rear is usually prohibited.
(6) THROUGH LOT or DOUBLE FRONTAGE LOT. A lot other than a corner lot with frontage on more than one street. THROUGH LOTS abutting two streets may be referred to as DOUBLE FRONTAGE LOTS.
OFFICIAL MAPS OR PLANS. Any maps or plans officially adopted by the Board of Commissioners.
OPEN SPACE. An area of land or water generally lacking in human-made structures and reserved for its unaltered state.
PLAT. A map or plan of a parcel of land which is to be, or has been subdivided.
PUBLIC OR COMMUNITY SEWAGE SYSTEM. A single system of sewage collection treatment and disposal owned and operated by a sanitary district, a metropolitan sewage district, a water and sewer authority, a county or municipality or a public utility.
RECREATION AREA or PARK. An area of land or combination of land and water resources that is developed for active and/or passive recreation pursuits with various human-made features that accommodate like activities.
STREET. A dedicated and accepted public right-of-way for vehicular traffic. The following classifications shall apply.
(1) Rural roads.
(a) LOCAL ROAD. A road which primarily provides access to adjacent land and for travel over relatively short distances.
(b) MAJOR COLLECTOR. A road which serves major intra-county travel corridors and traffic generators and provides access to the arterial system.
(c) MINOR ARTERIAL. A rural link in a network joining cities and larger towns and providing intrastate and inter-county service at relatively high overall travel speeds with minimum interference to through movement. This network would primarily serve traffic.
(d) MINOR COLLECTOR. A road which provides service to small local communities and links locally important traffic generators with their rural hinterland.
(e) PRINCIPAL ARTERIAL. A rural link in a network of continuous routes serving corridor movements having trip length and travel density characteristics indicative of substantial statewide or interstate travel and existing solely to serve traffic. This network would consist of interstate routes and other routes designed as PRINCIPAL ARTERIALS.
(2) Specific type rural or urban streets.
(a) ALLEY. A strip of land, owned publicly or privately, set aside primarily for vehicular service access to the back or side of properties otherwise abutting on a street.
(b) CUL-DE-SAC. A short street having but one end open to traffic and the other end being permanently terminated and a vehicular turnaround provided.
(c) DEAD END STREET. Has the same meaning as a cul-de-sac without a defined vehicle turnaround.
(d) FREEWAY, EXPRESSWAY or PARKWAY. Divided multi-lane roadway designed to carry large volumes of traffic at relatively high speeds. A FREEWAY is a divided highway providing for continuous flow of vehicles with no direct access to abutting property or streets and with access to selected crossroads provided via connecting ramps. An EXPRESSWAY is a divided highway with full or partial control of access and generally with grade separations at major intersections. A PARKWAY is a highway for noncommercial traffic, with full or partial control of access, and usually located within a park or a ribbon of park-like development.
(e) FRONTAGE ROAD. A local street or road that is parallel to a full or partial access control facility and functions to provide access to adjacent land.
(f) LOCAL RESIDENTIAL STREET. Cul-de-sacs, loop streets less than 2,500 feet in length or streets less than one mile in length that do not connect thoroughfares or serve major traffic generators, and do not collect traffic from more than 100 dwelling units.
(g) RESIDENTIAL COLLECTOR STREET. A local access street which serves as a connector street between local residential streets and the thoroughfare system. RESIDENTIAL COLLECTOR STREETS typically collect traffic from 100 to 400 dwelling units.
(3) Urban streets.
(a) LOCAL STREET. A street used as a link, not part of a higher-order urban system which serves primarily to provide direct access to abutting land and access to higher systems.
(b) MAJOR THOROUGHFARES. Thoroughfares which consist of interstate, other freeway and expressway links and major streets that provide for the expeditious movement of volumes of traffic within and through urban areas.
(c) MINOR THOROUGHFARES. Thoroughfares are important streets in the urban system and perform the function of collecting traffic from local access streets and carrying it to the major thoroughfare system by facilitating a minor through traffic movement and may also serve abutting property.
SUBDIVIDER. Any person, firm or corporation who subdivides or develops any land deemed to be a subdivision as defined in this chapter.
SUBDIVISION. All divisions of a tract or parcel of land into two or more lots, building sites or other divisions for the purpose of sale or building development (whether immediate or future) and shall include all divisions of land involving the dedication of a new street or a change in existing streets; but the following shall not be included within this definition nor be subject to any regulations enacted pursuant to this chapter:
(a) The combination or recombination of portions of previously subdivided and recorded lots where the total number of lots is not increased and the resultant lots are equal to or exceed the standards of the town as shown in this chapter;
(b) The division of land into parcels greater than ten acres where no street right-of-way dedication is involved;
(c) The public acquisition by purchase of strips of land for the widening or opening of streets or for public transportation system corridors;
(d) The division of a tract in single ownership whose entire area is no greater than two acres into not more than three lots, where no street right-of-way dedication is involved and where the resultant lots are equal to or exceed the standards of the town as shown in this chapter; or
(e) The divisions of a tract into parcels in accordance with the terms of a probated will or in accordance with intestate succession under G.S. Ch. 29.
STRUCTURE. Includes the word BUILDING.
USED FOR. Includes the meaning “designed for.”
(Ord. 21- , passed - -2021)