Chapter 17.28
DEFINITIONS

Sections:

17.28.010    Rules of construction.

17.28.020    Definitions.

17.28.010 Rules of construction.

Rules of construction shall be those listed in BIMC 18.36.010. (Ord. 2019-03 § 6 (Exh. B), 2019: Ord. 2011-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2011)

17.28.020 Definitions.

1. “Arterial” means an arterial road as defined in the City of Bainbridge Island Island-Wide Transportation Plan.

2. “Buffer” means as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

3. “Cluster” means grouping homesites within a subdivision to facilitate the efficient use of land by limiting areas of disturbance, impervious surfaces, utility extensions and roadways.

4. “Code” means the City of Bainbridge Island Municipal Code.

5. “Collector” means a collector road as defined in the City of Bainbridge Island Island-Wide Transportation Plan.

6. “Community space” means the portion of a subdivision maintained in perpetuity and designated for the common use and enjoyment of property owners within the subdivision.

7. “Comprehensive plan” means as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

8. “Contiguous land” means land adjoining and touching other land regardless of whether or not portions of the parcels have separate tax numbers, or were purchased at different times, in different sections, are in different government lots or are separated from each other by public or private easement or right-of-way.

9. “Critical areas,” as used in this title, means critical areas, their protective buffers, and aquifer recharge protection areas as described by Chapter 16.20 BIMC.

10. “Dedication” means the deliberate assignment of land by an owner for any general and public uses, reserving to the owner no other rights than such as are compatible with the full exercise and enjoyment of the public uses to which the property has been devoted. The intention to dedicate shall be evidenced by the owner by the presentment for filing of a final plat of a short or long subdivision, a large lot subdivision, or a nonresidential or multifamily subdivision showing the dedication. Acceptance of the filing shall be by approval of the final plat by the city.

11. “Department” means as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

12. “Director” means as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

13. “Division” means a portion of property within an approved preliminary subdivision that is authorized to be recorded separately by the specific terms and conditions of the preliminary and/or final subdivision approval.

14. “Driveway” means the access provided from a subdivision access street to an individual lot, shared garage, or homesite.

15. “Easement” means a right of use granted by a property owner to specific persons or to the public for use of land for a specific purpose.

16. “Effective visual screen” means a sight-obscuring barrier provided by: (a) a topographic variation, (b) a physical condition, such as an existing native forest, or (c) installed vegetation that provides a visual barrier within five years of planting.

17. “Farms” and “farmland” mean land used for crop agriculture or livestock agriculture, as those terms are defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

18. “Final subdivision” or “final plat” means the final drawing of the subdivision and dedication prepared for filing for record with the county auditor and containing all elements and requirements set forth in Chapter 58.17 RCW or its successors and the Bainbridge Island Municipal Code.

19. “Footprint” means a building footprint as defined in BIMC 18.12.050.

20. “Greenway” means a system composed of land areas and connector links. The land areas include, but are not limited to: large open areas, public lands, farmlands, critical areas, forests, shoreline areas, and parks. The features of the connector links include trail systems, riparian areas, visual or scenic views of ridgelines, wildlife corridors or any combination of these.

21. “Health district” means the Kitsap Public Health District.

22. “Hearing examiner” means the official designated as the hearing examiner for the city pursuant to BIMC Title 2.

23. “Homesite” means that portion of a lot depicted on the face of a plat that is intended for development of the primary residential dwelling and accessory dwelling unit and necessary infrastructure within a subdivision. Other accessory buildings and uses other than the primary residence and accessory dwelling unit can occur outside of the homesite area, natural area and community space.

24. “Island character” is the term used to describe the special character of the island – winding, narrow and vegetated roadways and forested areas, meadows, farms, areas that contain much of the island’s wetlands and streams, aquifer recharge areas and fish and wildlife habitat areas. For the purposes of this title, it does not refer to a level of service, or type of development, or measure of development intensity.

25. “Landscaping” means as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

26. “Large lot subdivision” means the division or redivision of land into two or more lots for the purpose of sale, lease or transfer of ownership, where each lot is not smaller than five acres or 1/128th of a section (whichever is smaller); provided, that this shall not include division or redivision of land where all parcels are greater than 20 acres or 1/32nd of a section.

27. “Laws of descent” means the rules of inheritance law established by the state of Washington and the federal government that apply in cases where there is no will naming the persons to receive the possessions of a person who has died.

28. “Long subdivision” means the division or redivision of land into five or more lots, tracts (except tracts specifically reserved as natural area), parcels, sites or divisions for the purpose of sale, lease or transfer of ownership, but shall not include a short subdivision.

29. “Lot” means a lot as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

30. “Low-impact fencing” means a fence designed to preserve views into an area and wildlife access to and from the area while providing a physical barrier to prevent livestock or humans from easily or inadvertently entering the area. Low-impact fencing includes without limitation two- or three-tier split-rail or horse-rail fencing not exceeding five feet in height, four-inch by four-inch wooden posts with two or three strands of cable in between, or other fencing with similar visual, barrier, and access characteristics as determined by the director.

31. “Mature vegetation on ridgelines” means as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

32. “Mature trees and shrubs” means as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

33. “Meadow” means an open, nonforested area formed by the land’s natural features and events of nature.

34. “Native forest” means established forest areas primarily consisting of native trees and plants.

35. “Native vegetation” means as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

36. “Natural area” means the undeveloped portion of a subdivision that contains natural resources features, such as critical areas, significant tree stands, forested areas, native vegetation, and designated wildlife corridors, that is preserved in perpetuity, designated or reserved for public use or enjoyment, or used for the private use and enjoyment of property owners within the subdivision.

37. “Off-site views” or “views from off site” means as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

38. “Natural area sign” means a sign used to delineate the boundaries of designated open space, critical areas, and/or their buffers. Open space/critical areas signs shall be made of metal or similar durable material and shall be between 64 and 144 square inches in size.

39. “Orchard” means as defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

40. “Pasture” means land used for grazing.

41. “Perimeter buffer” means a vegetated space retained or established at the exterior plat boundary of a subdivision that provides an effective visual screen between, and minimizes potentially adverse impacts to, adjacent properties.

42. “Phasing” means the use of limits on construction, permitting or occupancy to reduce the immediacy or severity of impacts of the subdivision on the environment or to better achieve the requirements of state law for the concurrence of the facilities and services with the needs generated by development.

43. “Plat” is a map or representation of a subdivision, showing thereon the division of a tract or parcel of land into lots, blocks, streets and alleys, or other divisions and dedications.

44. “Planning commission” means the Bainbridge Island planning commission, as described in BIMC 2.14.020.

45. “Platted lot” means a fractional part of divided lands having fixed boundaries, being of sufficient area and dimension to meet minimum zoning requirements for width and area and the flexible lot development standards contained within this title. The term includes tracts or parcels.

46. “Preliminary plat” is a drawing of a proposed subdivision showing the general layout of streets and alleys, lots, blocks, and other elements of a subdivision consistent with the requirements of this title. The preliminary plat shall be the basis for the approval or disapproval of the layout of a subdivision.

47. “Public way” means a dedicated street, easement allowing public access, and other forms of access open to the public.

48. “Right-of-way” means land in which the state, county, city or other governmental entity owns the fee simple title or has an easement dedicated or required for a transportation or utility use. The right-of-way is the right to pass over the property of another. It refers to a strip of land legally established for the use of pedestrians, vehicles or utilities.

49. “Road” means as defined in Chapter 12.38 BIMC.

50. “Roadside buffer” means a vegetated space retained or established that provides an effective visual screen of new development or preserves existing roadside character, forested character, or scenic views.

51. “Scenic view” or “scenic viewshed” means a view of predominantly natural features typical of Island character largely unobstructed by buildings.

52. “Shared garage” means a structure or building located outside of individual lots used to meet the parking requirements within a subdivision.

53. “Short plat” means the map or representation of a short subdivision.

54. “Short subdivision” is the division or redivision of land into four or fewer lots, tracts (except tracts specifically reserved as natural area), parcels or sites, for the purpose of sale, lease or transfer of ownership.

55. “Significant tree” shall have the meaning defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

56. “Stormwater” shall have the meaning defined in Chapter 15.20 BIMC.

57. “Street” shall have the meaning defined in Chapter 18.36 BIMC.

58. “Subdivision access road” means the access road that serves only the subdivision.

59. “Testamentary provisions” means provisions of a last will or testament of a person who has died, concerning land or property owned or controlled by that person, which provisions are generally carried out by an executor appointed by a court or public official on behalf of the deceased.

60. “Wetland” shall have the meaning defined in Chapter 16.20 BIMC. (Ord. 2019-03 § 6 (Exh. B), 2019: Ord. 2017-02 § 21, 2017; Ord. 2011-02 § 2 (Exh. A), 2011)