Chapter 16.08
DEFINITIONS

Sections:

16.08.010    Definitions.

16.08.010 Definitions.

Whenever the following words and phrases appear in this title, they shall be given the meaning attributed to them by this chapter. When not inconsistent with the context, words used in the present tense shall include the future; the singular shall include the plural, and the plural the singular; “shall” is always mandatory and “may” indicates a use of discretion in making a decision. Where terms are not defined, they shall have ordinary accepted meanings within the context in which they are used.

1.    “Access corridor” means a private easement providing primary access from a public right-of-way to a lot, parcel or tract of land. Such corridors shall meet applicable requirements of Chapter 16.28 regarding access corridors.

2.    “Alley” means a passage or way open to public travel and dedicated to public use affording generally a secondary access to abutting lots and not intended for general traffic circulation. Alleys are not considered streets under the terms of this title.

3.    “Binding site plan” means a drawing to a scale specified by city ordinance which:

a.    Identifies and shows the areas and locations of all streets, roads, improvements, utilities, open spaces and any other matters specified by this title;

b.    Contains inscriptions or attachments setting forth such appropriate limitations and conditions for the use of the land as are established by the city council; and

c.    Contains provisions making any development be in conformity with the site plan.

4.    “Block” means a group of lots, tracts or parcels within well defined and fixed boundaries.

5.    “BMC” means the Bridgeport Municipal Code.

6.    “Bond” means any form of security acceptable to the city attorney and in an amount consistent with the provisions of these regulations. All bonds shall be approved by the city council wherever a bond is required by these regulations.

7.    “Boundary line adjustment” means a minor adjustment of one property line between two lots in which no third party ownership or additional building site results, as set out in Chapter 16.24 of these regulations.

8.    “City engineer” means the engineering firm selected by the city and appointed by the mayor and approved by the city council as the city’s official engineer.

9.    “Commercial-industrial subdivision” means the division of land for the purpose of sale, lease or transfer of ownership intended for the development of commercial and/or industrial uses.

10.    “Commission” means and refers to the city planning commission.

11.    “Council” means and refers to the city council.

12.    “County” means and refers to Douglas County, Washington.

13.    “Cul-de-sac” means a local or residential street with only one outlet and having a turnaround for the safe and convenient reversal of direction.

14.    “Dedication” means a deliberate appropriation of land by an owner for any general and public use, reserving to himself 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 or a short plat showing the dedication thereon; and, the acceptance by the public shall be evidenced by the approval of such plat for filing by the appropriate governmental unit.

15.    “Division of land” means, for purposes of this title, any transaction or action, not otherwise exempt or provided for under the provisions of this title, which alters or affects the shape, size or legal description of any part of an owner’s parent parcel. Sale of a condominium apartment and rental or lease of a building, facility or structure which does not alter or affect the legal description of an owner’s land shall not constitute a division of land.

16.    “Easement” means authorization by a property owner for the use by another, for a specified purpose, of a designated portion of his property.

17.    “Final approval” means the final official action taken by the planning commission and the city council on the final plan, subdivision, or dedication or portion thereof, that has previously received preliminary approval.

18.    “Final plat” means the final drawing for the subdivision and dedication prepared for filing for record with the county auditor and containing all elements and requirements set forth in this title and RCW 58.17 as now exists or as may hereafter be amended.

19.    “Frontage” means that portion of a lot abutting on a public street and ordinarily regarded as the front of the lot.

20.    “Grade” means the slope of a street specified in percentage terms.

21.    “Lot” means and is a fractional part of subdivided lands having fixed boundaries, being of sufficient area and dimension to meet zoning requirements for width and area. The term shall include tracts and parcels.

22.    Lot, Corner. “Corner lot” means a lot situated 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 at an interior angle of less than one hundred thirty-five degrees.

23.    “Lot depth” means the horizontal distance from the midpoint of the front property line to the midpoint of the rear property line.

24.    “Lot improvement” means a physical betterment of real property, or any part of such betterment, including any building, structure or improvement of the land.

25.    “Lot width” means the dimension of the lot line at the street right-of-way line; or, in an irregularly shaped lot, the dimension across the lot at the building setback line; or in a corner lot, the narrow dimension of the lot at a street or building setback line.

26.    Monument, Permanent Control. “Permanent control monument” means 5/8 inch rebar, 1 inch iron pipe or a brass or aluminum cap set in a concrete collar with the surveyor’s name and professional license number. If brass or aluminum caps are used, a piece of iron scrap shall be embedded in the concrete collar for magnetic detection.

27.    “Model home” means a dwelling unit used initially for display purposes which typifies the type of units that will be constructed in a subdivision.

28.    “Nonresidential subdivision” means a subdivision whose intended use is for other than residential purposes, such as commercial or industrial.

29.    “Owner” means any person, group of persons, firm or firms, corporation or corporations, or any legal entity having legal title to or sufficient proprietary interest to the land proposed to be subdivided.

30.    “Person” means and includes a firm, association, organization, partnership, trust, company or corporation as well as an individual.

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

32.    “Plat administrator” or “administrator” means and refers to the city clerk-treasurer, his or her designee, or any other official appointed in writing by the mayor to be responsible for the administration and enforcement of this title.

33.    “Preliminary plat” means a neat and approximate drawing of a proposed subdivision showing the general layout of streets and alleys, lots, blocks, restrictive covenants and other elements of a subdivision consistent with the requirements of this title and RCW Chapter 58.17 as now exists or as may hereafter be amended, which shall furnish a basis for the approval or disapproval of the general layout of a subdivision.

34.    “Prior division of land” means any of the following:

a.    A division initiated by sale, lease, transfer or option contract executed prior to the date of adoption of the ordinance codified in this title, which presently remains a binding and enforceable commitment as between the parties thereto, their successors or assigns. If the applicable instrument does not specifically designate separated units of property but does describe separate and defined lots, tracts, parcels, sites or divisions of land which are contiguous, they shall constitute prior division of land providing that any division executed prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter was in full and complete compliance with the then applicable subdivision ordinances and laws of the state of Washington;

b.    A taxation parcel of any size which is surrounded by prior divisions of land as defined by subsection (a) of this section;

c.    A taxation parcel of any size which was created prior to the date of adoption of the ordinance codified in this title, for the purpose of creating divisions of land which were exempt from platting requirements. Taxation parcels which were administratively created by the assessor’s office solely for tax purposes include senior citizen segregations administratively affected by one other than the land owner or agent; and segregations for tax exemption purposes. Such segregations for taxation purposes are not considered to be prior divisions of land for purposes of this title;

d.    A taxation parcel created in the assessor’s office for description purposes because of section lines if it conforms with zoning lot size and width requirements in effect at the time of application for exemption;

e.    A division of land created by a public right-of-way traversing the land.

35.    “Private road” means every way or place in private ownership and used for travel of vehicles by the owner or those persons having express or implied permission by the owner, but not by other persons; such roads are not maintained by the city of Bridgeport or any other public agency (government unit).

36.    “Public works superintendent” means the official appointed by the mayor to serve as the director of the city’s public works department. The public works superintendent is also known and referred to as the water superintendent.

37.    “Regulations” means this Title 16, Subdivisions, of the Bridgeport Municipal Code (BMC).

38.    “Required improvement” means and includes, but is not limited to, any drainage system, roadway, signs, sidewalk, parks, open space, community facilities, lot improvement, sewer or water system, fire protection, or other facility for which the city’s responsibility is already established.

39.    “Right-of-way” means a strip of land occupied or intended to be occupied by a street, crosswalk, railroad, road or alley, utility line, water or sewer main, shade trees or other similar uses.

40.    “Setback” means the minimum distance required between a property line and a structure or building, as set forth in the city’s zoning regulations contained in Title 17 BMC, as currently exists or hereafter may be amended.

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

42.    “Short subdivision” means the division or redivision of land involving four or fewer lots, tracts, parcels, sites or divisions for the purpose of sale, lease or transfer of ownership.

43.    “Sketch plat” means a sketch preparatory to the preparation of a preliminary plat.

44.    “Street” means the entire width of land between the boundary lines of every public way used either immediately or in the future for the purpose of vehicular and/or pedestrian traffic, pathways for bikes, placement of utilities, and access to abutting properties, and generally designed as follows:

a.    “Collector street” means a street designed to move traffic from local or residential street to arterials and secondary arterials.

b.    “Local street” means a street designed and intended to provide access from individual properties to other streets.

c.    “Primary arterial” means a general term denoting a street designed primarily for through traffic carrying heavy loads and large volumes of traffic, usually on a continuous route.

d.    “Secondary arterial” means a street designed and intended to collect traffic from less intensively used streets and distribute it to primary arterials or focal points in the city.

45.    Street, Dead End. “Dead end street” means a street or portion thereof with only one vehicular traffic outlet.

46.    “Subdivider” means any person who, having an interest in land, causes it, directly or indirectly, to be subdivided into subdivisions.

47.    “Subdivision” means the division or redivision of land into five or more lots, tracts, parcels, sites or divisions for the purpose of sale, lease or transfer of ownership, except as provided in subsection (35) of this section.

48.    “Zoning” or “zoning code” refers to Title 17 of the municipal code of the city of Bridgeport. With regard to zoning related matters such as lot size, etc., all regulations of this code must be consistent with the zoning code, as currently exists or hereafter may be amended. (Ord. 493 (part), 1998: Ord. 382 § 1 (Exh. A (part)), 1990)