For the purposes of this Zoning Ordinance, certain terms and words are hereby defined. Certain sections contain definitions which are additional to those listed here. Where terms are not specifically defined, their ordinarily accepted meaning or meanings implied by their context shall apply.
1. “Abutting” means having lot lines or district boundaries in common, and is used interchangeably with “adjacent.”
2. “Accessory structure” means a structure which is incidental and subordinate to main or primary building on the same lot.
3. “Accessory use” means a use which is incidental to and customarily associated with a specific principal use of the same lot.
4. “Addition” means any construction which increases the size of a building or structure in terms of site coverage, height, length, width, or gross floor area.
5. “Agent of owner” means any person showing written verification that he/she is acting for, and with the knowledge and consent of, a property owner.
6. “Agriculture” means the use of land for purposes of growing the usual farm products, including vegetables, fruit, trees and grains; pasturage; dairying; animal and poultry husbandry, and the necessary accessory uses for treating or storing the produce, provided that the operation of such accessory uses is secondary to that of the regular agricultural activities.
7. “Alley” means a public right-of-way, other than a street, twenty (20) feet or less in width, which is used as a secondary means of access to abutting property.
8. “Alteration” means any construction or physical change in the internal arrangement of spaces, the supporting members, the positioning on a site, or the appearance and/or location of a building or structure.
9. “Animal hospital” means any building or portion thereof designed or used for the care, observation and/or treatment of domestic animals by or under the supervision of a licensed veterinarian.
10. “Animal raising, personal” means premises where agricultural animals are fed or kept for personal use and for agriculturally related projects by the owner or occupant of the premises.
11. “Antenna” means a device, dish or array used to transmit or receive telecommunications signals.
12. “Apartment” means a housing unit within a building designed for and suitable for occupancy by only one family. Apartments are generally located within multi-family residential buildings.
13. “Attached” means having one or more walls in common with a principal building or connected to a principal building by an integral architectural element, such as a covered passageway; facade wall extension; breezeway; or archway.
14. “Base zoning district” means a district established by this Ordinance which prescribes basic regulations governing land use and site development standards. No more than one base zoning district shall apply to any individually platted lot or parcel. Overlay districts may be superimposed over the base zoning district.
15. “Basement” means a story having part but not more than one-half (½) of its height below grade. A basement is counted as a story.
16. “Bed and breakfast” means a lodging service that provides overnight or short-term accommodations to guests or visitors, usually including provision of breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are usually located in large residential structures that have been adapted for this use. For the purpose of this definition, bed and breakfasts are always owned and operated by the resident owner or resident manager of the structure, include no more than three (3) units, and accommodate each guest or visitor for no more than seven (7) consecutive days during any one-month period.
17. “Block” means an area of land within a subdivision that is entirely bounded by streets, by streets and the exterior boundaries of the subdivision, or by a combination of the above with a watercourse or lake, and which has been designated as such on a plat for the purposes of legal description of a property.
18. “Board of Adjustment” means a body established by the City expressly for the purpose of considering granting relief from situations of hardship and to hear appeals as provided by this Ordinance.
19. “Buffer zone” means a landscaped area intended to separate and partially obstruct the view of two adjacent land uses or properties from one another.
20. “Building” means any structure designed or intended for the support, enclosure, shelter, or protection of persons, animals, or property, but not including signs or billboards.
21. “Building coverage” means the area of a site covered by buildings or roofed areas including carports or covered porches or covered patios but excluding allowed projecting eaves, balconies and similar features.
22. “Building envelope” means the three-dimensional space within which a structure is permitted to be built on a lot after all zoning and other applicable municipal requirements have been met.
23. “Building height” means the distance from ground level to the top of the structure except where otherwise defined by illustration in the Zoning Illustrations section of this Ordinance.
24. “Building Official” means the designee of the City Council who is responsible for the enforcement of the applicable land use and development sections of this Code.
25. “Building permit” means a document that must be issued by the Building Official prior to erecting, constructing, enlarging, altering, repairing or improving any building or structure or change of use regulated by this Ordinance or by the applicable building codes of the City of Pella. Issuance of a building permit follows review of plans by the Building Official to determine that the proposed use of building or land complies with the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance.
26. “Carport” means an off-street parking unit for residential areas which is protected from the outside weather elements by a canopy or roof. Carports connected to the main structure by a breezeway or similar connection shall be considered as part of the main structure for building setback purposes.
27. “Cellar” means that portion of a building having more than one-half (½) of its height below grade. A cellar is not included in computing the number of stories for the purposes of height measurement.
28. “Certificate of occupancy” means an official certificate issued by the Building Official or his/her designee prior to occupancy of a completed building or structure, upon finding of conformance with the applicable building code and this Zoning Ordinance.
29. “Change of use” means the replacement of an existing use by a new use.
30. “City” means the City of Pella, Iowa.
31. “City Council” means the City Council of the City of Pella.
32. “Communication tower” means a tower, pole or similar structure which supports a telecommunications antenna above ground in a fixed location, freestanding, guyed or on a building.
33. “Communication tower, height of” means the distance from the base of the tower to the top of the structure, including the antenna.
34. “Community Development Committee” (or CDC) means a group of citizens appointed by City Council to review architectural proposals and details within the Design Review District and Dutch Residential Overlay District for Dutch Architecture compatibility.
35. “Compatibility” means the degree to which two or more different land use types are able to exist together in close proximity, with no one use having significant negative effects on any other use.
36. “Comprehensive Plan” means the duly adopted Comprehensive Development Plan of the City of Pella.
37. “Conditional use” means a use with operating and/or physical characteristics different from uses permitted by right in a given zoning district which may, nonetheless, be compatible with those uses under special conditions and with adequate public review. Conditional uses are allowed in a zoning district only at the discretion of and with the explicit permission of the Board of Adjustment. Conditional uses are considered identical to special use permits/special exception uses.
38. “Condominium” means a real estate ownership arrangement that combines fee simple title to a specific unit and joint ownership in common elements shared with other unit owners. Types of units may include dwelling units, parking spaces, office spaces or commercial spaces.
39. “Courtyard” means an open, unoccupied space, bounded on two or more sides by the walls of the building.
40. “Curb cut” means any depression in the curbing along the roadway of a public street. It may be originally designed or later created to permit and facilitate passage of motor vehicles between said roadway and any property adjacent to roadway.
41. “Design permit” means a document that is approved and issued by the Community Development Committee and the Building Official prior to repairs, alterations, modifications, painting, or repainting of existing buildings, visual displays, outdoor furniture or fixtures within the Design Review District. A design permit is also required for any new construction in a Dutch Residential Overlay (DURE) District or for any alterations, repairs, additions, improvements or other modifications, including repainting or new roofing, for any residences in a DURE district, which previously obtained a design permit.
42. “Driveway” means the driveway area that is inclusive of a drive on private property and the driveway approach.
43. “Driveway approach” means that part of any approach for motor vehicles to private property that lies between the property line and roadway of the public street or private street.
44. “DURE” or “Dutch Residential Overlay District” means a zoning overlay district which requires design review by the Community Development Committee for new residential construction or subsequent modification to a previously issued design permit.
45. “Dutch theme” means a philosophy in keeping with Dutch architecture as developed by the Community Development Committee.
46. “Dwelling unit” means one or more rooms, designed, occupied or intended for occupancy as a separate living quarter, with cooking, sleeping and sanitary facilities provided within the dwelling unit for the exclusive use of a single family maintaining a household.
47. “Easement” means a privilege or right of use granted on, above, under or across a designated part of a particular tract of land for a specific purpose by one owner to another owner, public or private agency or utility.
48. “Enclosed” means a roofed or covered space fully surrounded by walls.
49. “Encroachment” means the advancement of a structure or improvements beyond established limits, lot lines, easements or service areas.
50. “Excavation permit” means a permit required for any digging or excavating in public right-of-way but not for digging, excavation or other earthwork conducted on private property exclusively.
51. “Family” means one or more persons living together and sharing common living, sleeping, cooking and eating facilities within an individual housing unit, no more than four (4) of whom may be unrelated. The following persons are considered related for the purpose of this ordinance:
A. Persons related by blood, marriage, or adoption;
B. Persons residing with a family for the purpose of adoption;
C. Not more than eight (8) persons under 19 years of age, residing in a foster house licensed or approved by the State of Iowa.
D. Persons living with a family at the direction of a court.
52. “Family home” means a community-based residential home or a child foster care facility to provide room and board, personal care, habilitation services and supervision in a family environment exclusively for not more than eight (8) developmentally disabled persons and any necessary support personnel as permitted and as limited by the Code of Iowa.
53. “Farm” means an area comprising ten (10) acres or more which is used for agriculture, and contains no more than one (1) dwelling unit per ten (10) acres that is undivided or divided only by a public street or roadway, and used for agricultural purposes.
54. “Fascia” means a parapet-type wall used as part of the facade of a flat-roofed building and projecting no more than six feet (6') from the immediately adjacent building face. Such a wall shall enclose at least three (3) sides of the projecting flat roof and return to a parapet wall or the building.
55. “Feed lot” means any parcel of land or premises on which the principal use is the concentrated feeding within a confined area of cattle, hogs or sheep. The term does not include areas which are used for the raising of crops or other vegetation, and upon which livestock are allowed to graze or feed.
56. “Floor area ratio” means the quotient of gross floor area divided by gross lot area.
57. “Frontage” means the length of a property line of any one premises abutting and parallel to a public street, private way or court.
58. “Garage, private” means an accessory building designed or used for the storage of not more than three (3) motor-driven vehicles owned and used by the occupants of the building to which it is accessory.
59. “Garage, public” means a building or portion thereof other than a private or storage garage, designed or used for servicing, repairing, equipping, hiring, selling or storing motor-driven vehicles.
60. “Garage, storage” means a building or portion thereof designed or used exclusively for storing four (4) or more motor-driven vehicles.
61. “Gas station” means any building or premises used for the retail sale of liquefied petroleum products for the propulsion of motor vehicles, and including such products as kerosene, fuel oil, packaged naptha, lubricants, tires, batteries, antifreeze, motor vehicle accessories and other items customarily associated with the sale of such products; for the rendering of services and making of adjustments and replacements to motor vehicles, and the washing, waxing and polishing of motor vehicles as incidental to other services rendered; and the making of repairs to motor vehicles except those of a major type. Repairs of a major type are defined to be spray painting; body and frame repairs; major overhauling of transmission, differential or engines or requiring the removal of engine cylinder head; or complete recapping or retreading of tires.
62. “Grade” means the horizontal elevation of the finished surface of ground, paving or sidewalk adjacent to any building line.
A. For buildings having walls facing one street only, the grade shall be the elevation of the sidewalk at the center of the wall facing the street.
B. For buildings having walls facing more than one street, the grade shall be the average elevation of the grades of all walls facing each street.
C. For buildings having no walls facing a street, the grade shall be the average level of the finished surface of the ground adjacent to the exterior walls of the building.
63. “Gross floor area” means the total area of all floors of a building as measured to the outside surfaces of exterior walls or the centerline of walls separating buildings, and including halls, stairways, elevator shafts, attached garages, porches and balconies.
64. Growing season” means a twelve-month period of time.
65. “Home occupation” means a business, profession, occupation or trade conducted for gain or support entirely within a residential building or a structure accessory thereto, which is incidental and secondary to the use of such building for dwelling purposes and which does not change the essential residential character of such building.
66. “Hotel” or “motel” means a building in which lodging is provided and offered to the public for compensation, and which is open to transient guests, in contradistinction to a boarding house or rooming house.
67. “Impervious coverage” means the total horizontal area of all buildings, roofed or covered spaces, paved surface areas, walkways and driveways, and any other site improvements that reduce the ability of the surface of the site to absorb water, expressed as a percent of site area. The surface water area of pools is excluded from this definition.
68. “Inn” – see “hotel/motel.”
69. “Institution, nonprofit” means a nonprofit establishment maintained and operated by a society, corporation, individual, foundation or public agency for the purpose of providing charitable, social, educational or similar services to the public, groups or individuals. Cooperative nonprofit associations performing a service normally associated with retail sales or trade such as cooperative groceries, granaries, equipment sales, etc., are not considered to be nonprofit institutions.
70. “Junk” means old and dilapidated automobiles, trucks, tractors and other such vehicles and parts thereof, wagons and other kinds of vehicles and parts thereof, scrap, used building material, scrap contractor’s equipment, tanks, casks, cans, bottles, glass, old iron, machinery, rags, paper excelsior, hair, mattresses, beds or bedding, or any other kind of scrap or waste material which is stored, kept, handled or displayed for barter, resale, reuse, salvage, stripping, or trade.
71. “Junk yard” means any area where waste, discarded or salvaged materials are bought, sold, exchanged, baled or packed, disassembled, kept stored or handled, including house wrecking yards, used lumber yards and places or yards for storage of salvaged house wrecking and structural steel materials and equipment; but not including areas where such uses are conducted entirely within a completely enclosed building, and not including the processing of used, discarded or salvaged materials as part of manufacturing operations.
72. “Kennel, dog” means any premises on which four (4) or more dogs, six (6) months old or older are kept.
73. Landscaped area” means the area within the boundaries of a given lot, site or common development consisting primarily of plant material, including but not limited to grass, trees, shrubs, vines, ground cover, and other organic plant materials; or grass paver masonry units installed such that the appearance of the area is primarily landscaped.
A. “Perimeter landscaped area” means any required landscaped area that adjoins the exterior boundary of a lot, site or common development.
B. “Interior landscaped area” means any landscaped area within a site exclusive of required perimeter landscaping. Typically an interior landscaped area will include a parking lot.
74. “Loading area” means an off-street area which is paved (asphalt, brick or concrete) and used for the loading or unloading of goods from a vehicle in connection with the use of the site on which such area is located.
75. “Lot” means a parcel of property having fixed boundaries of at least sufficient size to meet minimum zoning requirements for use, coverage and area and to provide such yards and other open space as are required. Such lot shall have frontage on a public street and may consist of the following:
A. A single lot or record.
B. A portion of a lot of record.
C. A combination of complete lots of record and portions of lots of record.
D. A measured parcel of land described by metes and bounds, provided that in no case of division or combination shall any residual lot or parcel be created which does not meet the requirements of the Zoning Ordinance.
76. “Lot, corner” means a lot abutting upon two (2) or more streets at their intersection.
77. “Lot lines” means property boundary lines of record that divide one lot from another lot or a lot from the public or private street right-of-way or easement.
A. “Front lot line” means the lot line separating a lot and a public or private street right-of-way
B. “Rear lot line” means that boundary which is opposite and most distant from the front lot line.
C. “Side lot line” means any lot boundary line not a front or a rear lot line.
D. “Zero lot line” means that the building setback is allowed to be the same as the property line.
78. “Lot measurements”:
A. “Lot area” means the total horizontal area within the lot lines of a lot.
B. “Lot depth” means the mean horizontal distance measured between the front and rear lot lines.
C. “Lot width” means the horizontal distance measured between the side lot lines of a lot, at right angles to its depth, along a straight line parallel to the front lot line at the minimum required setback line.
79. “Lot types”:
A. Lot of record” means a lot which is a part of a subdivision recorded in the office of the County Recorder of Marion County, or a lot or parcel described by metes and bounds, the description of which has been so recorded.
B. “Corner lot” means a lot abutting upon two (2) or more streets at their intersection.
C. “Double frontage lot” means a lot having a frontage on two (2) nonintersecting streets, as distinguished from a corner lot.
D. “Interior lot” means a lot other than a corner lot.
E. “Reversed frontage lot” means a corner lot, the side street line of which is substantially a continuation of the front lot line of the first platted lot to its rear (see Zoning Illustrations).
F. “Flag lot” means a lot having access to a street by means of a private driveway or parcel of land not otherwise meeting the requirements of this Ordinance for lot frontage.
80. “Manufactured home dwelling” means a factory built single-family dwelling structure which is to be used as a place for human habitation, which is manufactured or constructed under the authority of 42 U.S.C. Sec. 5403, Federal Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards, and which is not constructed or equipped with a permanent hitch or other device allowing it to be moved other than to a permanent site; does not have permanently attached to its body or frame any wheels or axles and is placed on a permanent foundation. A mobile home constructed to the National Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards promulgated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development is not a manufactured home unless it has been converted to real property and is taxed as a site-built dwelling as is provided in the Code of Iowa Section 435.26 and is placed on a permanent foundation. For the purpose of any of these regulations, manufactured homes are considered the same as single-family detached dwellings.
81. “Medical facility” means a licensed hospital providing, emergency medical services, psychiatric services, diagnostic and treatment services, surgical services, outpatient care, as well as an office or clinic providing medical care under the supervision of a licensed health professional and associated with the hospital.
82. “Mini-warehouse” means a building or group of buildings not more than one story and twenty feet (20') in height and not having any other dimension greater than one hundred fifty feet (150') per building, containing varying sizes of individualized, compartmentalized and controlled stalls or lockers for the dead storage of customer’s goods or wares, excluding junk, explosive, or flammable materials and other noxious or dangerous materials. Also known as convenience storage, mini storage or self-storage.
83. “Mixed use” means a building or structure which incorporates two (2) or more businesses or use types within a single building or structure.
84. “Mobile home” means any vehicle which at any time was used, maintained or so originally constructed as to permit being used as a conveyance upon highways or public streets, or waterways, and duly licensed as such; so designed and so constructed as to permit occupancy thereof as a dwelling unit or sleeping place for one or more persons whether attached or unattached to a permanent foundation, but also includes any such vehicle with motive power not registered as a motor vehicle in Iowa. A mobile home is factory-built housing on a chassis. A mobile home shall not be construed to be a travel trailer or other form of recreational vehicle. A mobile home shall be construed to remain a mobile home, subject to all regulations applying thereto, whether or not wheels, axles, hitch or other appurtenances of mobility are removed and regardless of the nature of the foundation provided. However, certain mobile homes may be classified as “manufactured homes.” Nothing in this Ordinance shall be construed as permitting a mobile home in other than an approved mobile home park, unless such mobile home is classified as a manufactured home.
85. Mobile home park” means a unified development under single ownership, developed, planned and improved for the placement of mobile home units for non-transient use. Mobile home parks include common areas and facilities for management, recreation, laundry, utility services, storage, storm shelter, and other services; but do not include mobile home sales lots on which unoccupied mobile homes are parked for the purposes of display, inspection, sale or storage. A mobile home park is permitted only in the R4 Mobile Home Zoning District.
86. Mobile home subdivision” means a subdivision designed and intended for residential use where residency is in mobile homes exclusively, and mobile home lots are sold for occupancy. A mobile home subdivision is permitted only in the R4 Mobile Home Zoning District.
87. “Modular home” means factory-built housing certified as meeting the State Building Code as applicable to modular housing. Once certified by the State, modular homes shall be subject to the same standards as site-built homes provided they are placed on a permanent foundation.
88. “Nonconformities” means lots, structures, uses of land and structures, and characteristics of uses which are prohibited under the terms of the Zoning Ordinance but were lawful at the date of the ordinance’s enactment and not otherwise classified as non-complying.
89. “Nursing or convalescent home” means a building or structure having accommodations and where care is provided for invalid, infirm, aged, convalescent or physically disabled or injured persons, not including insane and other mental cases, inebriate or contagious cases.
90. “Outdoor sales” means sales activities that occur located on a public sidewalk, street or other public space open to the sky. The display and sales activities are characterized by their short term or seasonal nature, that no permanent improvements are made to the site, and that all activities must meet the requirements of existing zoning codes.
91. “Outdoor storage” means the outdoor storage or display of materials on private property, parts, or products that are related to the primary use of a site for a period exceeding forty-eight (48) hours.
92. “Overlay district” means a district established by this Ordinance to prescribe special regulations to be applied to a site only in combination with a base district.
93. “Parking space” means a permanently paved surfaced area which includes the parking stall plus necessary maneuvering space for the parking of a motor vehicle. Space for maneuvering, incidental to parking, shall not encroach upon any public right-of-way.
94. “Paving” means a surface of concrete, asphalt or brick which will be maintained with materials or equipment sufficient to prevent mud, dust or loose material.
95. “Peddler” means any person that sells merchandise on a temporary basis using a structure, cart, wagon, trailer or other vehicle. Peddlers are also known as transient merchants or solicitors for the purpose of this definition.
96. “Permitted use” means a land use type allowed as a matter of right in a zoning district, subject only to special requirements of this Zoning Ordinance.
97. “Planned Unit Development” means a development of land which is under unified control and is planned and developed as a whole in a single development operation or programmed series of development stages. The development may include streets, circulation ways, utilities, buildings, open spaces and other site features and improvements. A Planned Unit Development is also a type of development agreement between the City and a developer which may or may not involve a rezoning process pursuant to this Ordinance.
98. “Planning and Zoning Commission” means the Planning and Zoning Commission of the City of Pella, as authorized pursuant to Chapter 414, Code of Iowa.
99. “Porch, unenclosed” means a roofed projection which has no more than fifty percent (50%) of each outside wall area enclosed by a building of siding material other than meshed screens.
100. “Property line” – see “lot line.”
101. “Principal use” means the main use of land or structures as distinguished from an accessory use.
102. “Remote parking” means a supply of off-street parking at a location not on the site of a given development.
103. Right-of-way” means a parcel of land upon which facilities such as highways, railroads or utilities are constructed. It is the legal right of a person, vehicle or utility to use this parcel of land, as granted, to pass over property owned by another party.
104. “Sanitary sewer permit” means a permit required for any new (non-City) connection to the City sanitary sewer system.
105. “Screening” means the method by which a view of one site from another adjacent site is shielded, concealed or hidden. Screening techniques include fences, walls, hedges, berms or other features as may be permitted by the landscape provisions of this chapter.
106. “Site” means the parcel of land to be developed or built upon. A site may encompass a single lot or a group of lots developed as a common development under the special and overlay districts provisions of this chapter.
107. “Site plan” means a plan, prepared to scale, showing accurately and with complete dimensioning, the boundaries of a site and the location of all buildings, structures, uses and principal site development features proposed for a specific parcel of land; and any other information that is required by this chapter.
108. “Solicitor” – see “peddler.”
109. “Special use” means a use with operating and/or physical characteristics different from uses permitted by right in a given zoning district which may, nonetheless, be compatible with those uses under special conditions and with adequate public review. Special uses are allowed in a zoning district only at the discretion of and with the explicit permission of the Board of Adjustment and pursuant to the provisions of applicable zoning district regulations. Special uses are considered identical to special exception uses as authorized by the Code of Iowa.
110. Special use permit” means a permit approved by the Board of Adjustment which allows a special use. (See definition of “special use.”)
111. “State” means the State of Iowa.
112. “Story” means that portion of a building included between the surface and the floor next above it, or if there is no floor above it, then the space between the floor and the ceiling or roof next above it.
113. “Story, half” means a space under a sloping roof which has the line of intersection of roof decking and exterior wall face not more than four feet (4') above the top floor level.
114. “Street” means a right-of-way, dedicated to public use, which affords a primary means of access to the abutting property. This definition is intended to be inclusive of the term as defined in Iowa Statutes.
115. “Structural alteration” means any replacement or changes in the type of construction or in the supporting members of a building, such as bearing walls or partitions, columns, beams or girders, beyond ordinary repairs and maintenance.
116. “Structure” means any object constructed or built and attached or anchored permanently or semi-permanently to the ground in such a way as to prevent routine movement, excluding fences, signs, driveways and any utility appurtenances such as transformers, poles, manholes, etc.
117. “Telecommunications” means the transmission, between or among points specified by the user, of information of the user’s choosing, without change in the form or content of the information as sent and received.
118. “Townhouse” means a dwelling unit having a common wall with or abutting one or more adjacent dwelling units in a townhouse structure, with its own front and rear access to the outside, and neither above nor below any other dwelling unit.
119. “Urban design standards” means a manual of basic fundamental concepts and design criteria for public improvements, installations and repairs.
120. “Use” means the conduct of an activity, or the performance of a function or operation, on a site or in a building or facility.
121. “Utilities” means installations, either above or below ground, necessary for the production, generation, transmission, delivery, collection, treatment or storage of water, solid or fluid wastes, storm water, energy media, gas, electronic or electromagnetic signals or other services which are precedent to development and use of land.
122. “Vacate” means the termination of public use of property.
123. “Water permit” means a permit required for any new non-City connection to the City’s water system.
124. “Yard” means an open space on the same lot with a building or structure unoccupied and unobstructed by any portion of a structure from thirty inches (30") above the general ground level of the graded lot upward. In measuring a yard for the purpose of determining the depth of a front yard or the depth of a rear yard, the least distance between the lot line and the building envelope shall be used. In measuring a yard for the purpose of determining the width of a side yard, the least distance between the lot line and the nearest permitted building envelope line shall be used.
125. “Yard, front” means a yard measured across the full width of the lot and measured between the front lot line and the building or any projections thereof, other than the projections of the usual steps or unenclosed porches. On corner lots, the property owner shall be entitled to choose which of the two (2) yards adjacent to the street will be considered the front yard.
126. “Yard, rear” means a yard extending across the full width of the lot and measured between the rear lot line and the building or any projections other than steps, unenclosed balconies or unenclosed porches. On both corner lots and interior lots, the rear yard is the opposite end of the lot from the front yard.
127. “Yard, side” means a yard extending from the front yard to the rear yard and measured between the side lot lines and the nearest building.
128. “Zero lot line” means that the building setback is allowed to be the same as the property line.
129. “Zoning Administrator” means the designee of the City Council responsible for the interpretation, administration and enforcement of the Pella Zoning Ordinance.
130. “Zoning district” means a designated specified land use classification within which all buildings and uses are subject to a unified group of use and site development regulations set forth in this Zoning Ordinance.
131. “Zoning map” means the official zoning map adopted through ordinance and subsequent amendments thereto by the City Council.