A. In General: "Shall" is mandatory; "may" is permissive; pronouns of male gender refer to either male or female. Definitions not listed shall be the standard dictionary definitions.
B. Specific Definitions:
ALLEY: A platted, dedicated and recorded passageway less than twenty feet (20') in width, between rear or side property lines of lots, designed to serve as secondary access to those lots.
ANNEXATION: Process by which the city limits are expanded to include specific property.
ARTERIAL: A thoroughfare for the rapid movement of traffic, with a minimum right of way of sixty feet (60') and speed limits commonly between thirty five (35) and fifty five (55) miles per hour.
AS BUILT MAPS: Maps showing exact locations and depths of utilities and infrastructure as installed.
BOND: A cash reserve commonly made by a bonding corporation, intended to assure project completion according to approved specifications.
CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS: Infrastructure and utility installation such as streets, sewer and water, storm water conveyance systems, and the like.
CATCH BASIN: A drainage instrument that collects excess storm water and other runoff, and directs the runoff to the storm sewer system or present watercourse.
COLLECTOR: A thoroughfare for the movement of traffic from arterials to residential streets or other low volume areas, with a minimum right of way of fifty feet (50') and speed limits between twenty five (25) to forty five (45) miles per hour.
COMPREHENSIVE PLAN: The adopted comprehensive plan, including all updates and amendments, of the city.
CONTIGUOUS PROPERTY: Property adjoining at lot lines at no less than two (2) corners and along the line between those two (2) corners.
COUNTY HEALTH OFFICIAL: The duly appointed official of the Hancock County health department, or designee thereof.
CUL-DE-SAC: A short local street ending in a circular turnaround providing sufficient room for automotive ingress and egress, and of sufficient radius for access by emergency equipment.
CURB: A formal raised edge designating the outside edge of the street, also used for the conveyance of storm water.
DEBRIS: Rocks, tree waste, building debris or demolition waste and other extraneous materials generated by site grading and soil preparation, which are undesirable on the final site.
DEDICATED PROPERTY: Property to be donated to the city to become publicly owned and maintained.
ELEVATIONS: The height above sea level of an area of land; or the proposed cross section showing changes in height of an improvement such as a sewer or a road.
ENGINEER: An engineer duly licensed and registered by the state of Illinois.
ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT: The city engineer of the city or his designee thereof.
ENGINEERING SCALE: A scale of ten feet (10') per inch or multiples thereof.
EROSION: The movement or removal of soil, rock or vegetation by natural forces such as wind or moving water.
EXCAVATION: The use of manmade or mechanical means to move soil, rock or vegetation.
FINAL PLAT: A plat submitted for final approval, showing all information as required herein.
FINAL SITE PLAN: A site plan submitted as part of the final plat application, showing all information as required herein.
FINAL SUBDIVISION APPROVAL: Final approval of all subdivision plats by the city council and all other necessary local authorities; in no way is any preliminary approval to be construed as any form of final subdivision approval.
FOOT-CANDLE: A unit of measure for luminance. A unit of luminance on a surface that is everywhere one foot (1') from a uniform point source of light of one candle and equal to one lumen per square foot. A foot-candle (fc) is the amount of light falling on a surface one foot (1') square in area from a standard candle one foot (1') away.
FORMAL OFFER OF DEDICATION: A written statement outlining the offer to permanently transfer all rights of title or interest for infrastructure improvements and/or property to the city or other governmental body.
FRONTAGE: The side of the lot facing a street, road or thoroughfare. The front yard setback is measured perpendicular to the frontage.
FRONTAGE, MULTIPLE: Lots containing frontage along more than one street or road. Multiple frontages are to be avoided except for corner lots, which must be large enough to accommodate the two (2) required front yard setbacks along each frontage.
FULL CUTOFF TYPE FIXTURE: A luminaire or light fixture that by design of the housing does not allow any light dispersion or direct glare to shine above a ninety degree (90°) horizontal plane from the base of the fixture. (Note: New development shall be in compliance with the outdoor lighting regulations in the zoning ordinance.)
INTERSECTION OFFSET: The gap between the centerlines of roads or streets adjoining a common road at the same intersection from opposite or the same sides.
LOCAL STREET: A residential or other low volume street used primarily for access to abutting property, with a minimum fifty foot (50') right of way, speed limits of thirty (30) miles per hour or less.
LOT, CORNER: A lot abutting upon two (2) or more streets at their intersection.
LOT DIMENSIONS: The property line lengths and corner angles that define the perimeter of the lot.
LOT IMPROVEMENTS: Provision of utilities and/or infrastructure and/or excavation which make a lot buildable.
LOT, IRREGULAR: A lot which is not a standard rectangular shape.
LOT, OVERSIZE: A lot which is more than ten percent (10%) larger than surrounding lots.
LOT, REMNANT: A lot of irregular shape, small size or unusual topography that is unbuildable because of the above reasons.
LUMEN: The basic unit of measurement for light. A dinner candle puts out about twelve (12) lumens, while a six hundred (600) watt soft white bulb produces eight hundred fifty five (855) lumens.
LUMENS PER WATT: The measurement of how efficient a lighting source is.
LUMINAIRE OF FIXTURE: A complete lighting unit including the lamps or bulbs, together with the parts required to distribute the light, to position and protect the lamps, and to connect the lamps to the power supply.
MANHOLE: Sewer connection humanly accessible at the surface level.
MONUMENTS: Permanent markers designating certain points or corners of the layout of a lot or parcel in accordance with the regulations herein.
OTHER GOVERNING BODIES: Federal, state, county, township or local officials or agencies having jurisdiction within the city limits or the one and one-half (11/2) mile zoning and subdivision jurisdiction.
OWNERS' ASSOCIATION: An organization established by agreement, consisting of landowners of property in the proposed subdivision, for the purpose of establishing design guidelines or review, or for the purpose of regulating and maintaining private common areas, and the like.
PLANNING COMMISSION: The duly appointed planning commission of the city.
PLAT: Scale drawing depicting subject property and proposed lot divisions, including all other information as required herein.
PRELIMINARY PLAT: Drawing of property proposed to be subdivided with all information as required herein.
PRELIMINARY SUBDIVISION APPROVAL: Tentative approval to subdivide based upon preliminary documents and authorization to proceed in preparing final plat documents. In no way is preliminary subdivision approval to be construed as final subdivision approval.
PUBLIC IMPROVEMENTS: Infrastructure intended to serve more than one property or lot and serviced by a utility company or taxing body, i.e., streets, water, sewer, power, telephone, and the like.
PUBLIC USE: Open to the general population for proposed uses, generally unrestricted except for city ordinance regulations.
PUBLIC WAYS: Streets, roads, sidewalks or other designated means for the free horizontal movement of people and/or machines.
RESTRICTIVE COVENANT: A private, legal restriction of the use of land, contained in the deed or otherwise formally recorded.
RIGHT OF WAY: Entire width of property dedicated for public uses, such as streets, sidewalks, water and sewer lines, and the like.
SECTIONALIZE (PLAT): To break a proposed subdivision into manageable phases, with each phase not to be less than ten percent (10%) of the gross land area of the project, each phase to be executed at a different period of time.
SIDEWALK: A public way intended primarily for pedestrian movement.
SITE PLAN: A development plan that illustrates the existing conditions on a parcel of land as well as depicting details of proposed developments, including all information as required herein.
SKETCH PLAT: A rough plan of a proposed development, created primarily for city staff review and comment, including all information as required herein.
STORM WATER PLAN: A plan for the conveyance of excess storm water, prepared in accordance with 765 Illinois Compiled Statutes.
STREET HIERARCHY: Conceptual arrangement of streets based on function, speed, right of way widths, and design, for the purpose of promoting safety, efficiency and quality.
STREET SIGNS: All directional, functional, safety and regulation signs for use on streets as required by the city.
STREETS AND ROADS: Public ways intended primarily for the movement of motorized vehicles.
SUBDIVISION: The division of a parcel of land into more than one smaller parcels, usually to permit the development of the land.
SUBDIVISION, COMMERCIAL: A subdivision which creates lots suitable for and intended for commercial or institutional purposes.
SUBDIVISION, INDUSTRIAL: A subdivision which creates lots suitable for and intended for industrial purposes.
SUBDIVISION, RESIDENTIAL: A subdivision which creates lots suitable for and intended for residential purposes.
TOPOGRAPHY: The vertical and horizontal planes which define the surface features of property.
UTILITY SYSTEM: The system which provides services including, but not limited to, sewer, water, gas, electricity and/or cable television.
VARIANCE: A special exception to the regulations of title 10, chapter 2 of this code, granted by the city council, when the applicant can sufficiently prove that the strict application of this chapter allows no reasonable use of property, or imposes such practical difficulties that the provisions of this chapter would deny the landowner rights commonly enjoyed by others.
WATER BODIES: Large pools of surface water which occur throughout the year in the same location, or rivers or streams.
WATER MAINS: Pipes which provide potable water to a development from a common water supply.
WOODED AREAS: Areas that are covered by a dense growth of trees and associated underbrush.
ZONING ADMINISTRATOR: The zoning administrator of the city, or designee thereof.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS: The duly appointed members of the zoning board of appeals of the city.
ZONING SETBACK: The minimum open area measured horizontally on which no structure may be built, as required by title 10, chapter 2 of this code or other appropriate zoning ordinances. (Ord. 2003-12, 2-10-2004)