For the purpose of this Title, certain words and phrases used herein are hereby defined. Words used in the present tense shall include the future; the singular number shall include the plural, and the plural the singular; the word "shall" is mandatory and is not directory; the word "may" is discretionary, and the word "person" includes firm, association, trust, organization, partnership, company or corporation, as well as an individual. Wherever the masculine gender is used it shall also include the feminine and the neuter. Unless otherwise stated, the requirements of this Title are minimum requirements.
ALLEY: A minor public right of way used primarily for vehicular service access to the rear or side of properties.
BLOCK: A tract of land bounded by streets or by a combination of streets and public parks, railroad rights of way or shorelines of waterways.
BUFFER: A zone, area or strip used to separate uses or to serve as a protective barrier between uses. For the purposes of this Title, there are three (3) types of buffers:
A. Buffer Zone: Area used to separate uses.
Example: An area used to develop distance or barriers between a shopping center and a residential area.
B. Transitional Zone: An area which gradually decreases intensity of use.
Example: Decreasing from a commercial use to a multi-family use to single-family use. The reduction may be in height, bulk and density.
C. Buffer Strip: A narrow strip of land used for the erection of a barrier or landscaping where areas of different zoning are contiguous.
Example: A landscaped and fenced area where a commercial zone abuts a residence zone.
BUILDING SETBACK LINE: The line indicating the minimum horizontal distance between the property lines, which provides pedestrian access to adjacent properties.
CROSSWALKWAY: A public right of way, ten feet (10') or more in width, between property lines, which provides pedestrian access to adjacent properties.
CUL-DE-SAC: A short street having one end open to traffic and being terminated at the other end by a vehicular turnaround.
DIRECTOR OF OFFICE OF QUALITY CONTROL: The Director of Office of Quality Control of the Village.
EASEMENT: A grant or declaration by the owner of a tract of land for the use of his land by others, for specific purposes.
FINAL PLAT: The final map or drawing on which the subdivision plan is submitted to the Zoning and Planning Commission for approval and, which, if approved by the Zoning and Planning Commission and the Board of Trustees, will be submitted by the Village to the County Recorder of Deeds and/or Registrar of Titles for recording. The final plat must be prepared by a registered Illinois land surveyor.
FRONTAGE: All property on one side of a street between two (2) intersecting streets (crossing or terminating) measured along the line of the street, or if the street is dead-ended, then all of the property abutting one side between an intersecting street and the dead end of the street. On a corner lot, the frontage is the side with the lesser dimension.
IMPROVEMENTS: Any street and alley grading and surfacing, curbs and gutters, grading and surfacing of off-street parking spaces, sidewalks, sanitary sewage facilities, water mains and hydrants and storm water drainage facilities; and shall also include street signs, street lights, driveways, roadway parkway strips, crosswalkways, landscaping and plantings, survey monuments, compacted fill or any other facility contemplated by the final plat for any subdivision in compliance with all applicable Municipal regulations and ordinances.
MAJOR STREET PLAN: A part of the Official Plan showing the location and dimensions of principal thoroughfares.
OFFICIAL PLAN: The Comprehensive Zoning Plan (and amendments thereto) or any portion thereof made and adopted by the Village President and Board of Trustees in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois and the ordinances of the Village, indicating the general or specific locations recommended for streets, parks, public buildings, zoning districts and all other public improvements.
OWNER: Title holder of record or any other legal entity having legal interest in title to the land sought to be subdivided under this Title.
PARKWAY STRIP: A strip of land between the roadway and the sidewalk or sidewalk site.
PRELIMINARY LAYOUT: The preliminary map or drawing on which the proposed layout of subdivision is submitted to the Zoning and Planning Commission consideration.
PROPOSED LOT: A portion of a proposed subdivision intended as a unit for transfer of ownership or for development.
PUBLIC LAND: Any land set aside by a unit of government or by a subdivider or developer, for use as parks, playgrounds, and such other public uses as determined by that unit of government for the use and enjoyment of the general public.
RIGHT OF WAY: A strip of land occupied or intended to be occupied by a road, crosswalk, railroad, electric transmission line, oil or gas pipeline, water main, sanitary or storm sewer main, or for another special use. The usage of the term "right of way" for land platting purposes in the Village shall mean that every right of way hereafter established and shown on a final recorded plat is to be separate and distinct from the lots or parcels adjoining such right of way and not included within the dimensions or areas of such lots or parcels. Rights of way intended for roads, crosswalks, water mains, sanitary sewers, storm drains, or any other use involving maintenance by a public agency shall be dedicated or granted to public use by the maker of the plat on which such right of way is established.
ROADWAY: The portions of a street available for vehicular traffic; where curbs are laid, the portion between curbs.
SIDE YARD: An open, unoccupied space on a lot located between a proposed or existing building and the sideline of the lot and extending from the street line to the rear lot line.
SIDEWALK: The portion of a street or crosswalkway, paved with concrete (or otherwise surfaced), intended for pedestrian use only.
STREET: A public right of way which affords a primary means of access to abutting properties, whether designated as a street, avenue, highway, road, boulevard, lane, throughway or however otherwise designated, but excepting driveways to buildings.
STREET WIDTH: The shortest distance between the property lines which delineates the right of way of a street.
STREETS, FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATION:
Street, Collector: A street which carries traffic from minor streets to a thoroughfare, including the principal entrance streets of a residential development, and the principal circulating streets within such development.
Street, Half: A street bordering one or more property lines of a tract of land in which the subdivider has allocated only a part of the ultimate right of way width.
Street, Major: A street of great continuity, which serves or is intended to serve as a principal trafficway for fast or heavy traffic and which taken together, comprise the basic structure of the street system of the Village and surrounding area.
Street, Marginal Access: A minor street which is parallel to and adjacent to a thoroughfare or major street, and which provides access to abutting properties and protection from through traffic.
Street, Minor: A street of limited continuity, which serves or is intended to serve primarily for access to the abutting properties.
SUBDIVIDER: Any person, trust, financial association or corporation acting as a unit or any agent thereof, proposing to divide land so as to constitute a subdivision as defined herein.
SUBDIVISION: The division or dividing of any tract or parcel of land into one or more lots for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of transfer of ownership or for building development; provided, however, that the division of land into parcels of more than five (5) acres, not involving any change in street lines or public easements, shall not be deemed a subdivision within the meaning of these regulations. The term includes resubdivision and, where appropriate to the context, shall relate to the process of subdividing or to the land subdivided. Application for permit to construct one or more additional dwellings on a parcel or tract of land where one or more dwellings already exists, shall be construed as a building development envisioning future transfer of ownership, and shall be regarded as a subdivision.
VILLAGE: The Village of Oak Lawn, a Municipal corporation.
VILLAGE BOARD: The Village President and Board of Trustees of the Village of Oak Lawn.
ZONING AND PLANNING COMMISSION: The Zoning and Planning Commission of the Village. (Ords. 79-2-5, 81-12-19, 81-36-78, 87-22-90, 92-11-45, 93-9-24, 19-16-66