Chapter 17.08
DEFINITIONS
Sections:
17.08.010 Definitions.
Words used in the singular include the plural and the plural the singular.
“Accessory dwelling unit (ADU)” means a habitable dwelling unit added to, created within, or detached from a single-family dwelling that provides basic requirements for living, sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation.
“Accessory use” means a use customarily incidental and accessory to the principal use of a site or a building or other structure located upon the same lot.
“Adult family home” means the regular family abode of a person or persons who are providing personal care, special care, and room and board to more than one but not more than six adults who are not related by blood or marriage to the person or persons providing the services.
“Alteration” means any human-induced action which impacts the existing condition of the area, including, but not limited to:
1. Grading, filling, dredging, draining, channelizing, cutting, topping;
2. Clearing, relocating or removing vegetation;
3. Paving, construction, modifying for surface water management purposes;
4. Human activity that impacts the existing topography, vegetation, hydrology, or wildlife habitat.
“Alteration” does not include walking, passive recreation, fishing, or similar activities.
“Appeal, closed record” means an administrative appeal to the town council following an open record hearing on a project application. Evidence for the appeal is limited to the record of the open record hearing.
“Appeal, open record” means an administrative appeal to the planning commission or town council when there has not been an open record hearing on a project application. New evidence or information is allowed to be submitted in review of the decision.
“Boat house” means a structure erected over water, intended to provide shelter for a boat.
“Building” means any structure built for the support, shelter or enclosure of persons, animals, or chattels.
“Building site” means a lot meeting the requirements of YPMC 17.16.050, for the purpose of erecting a building or structure.
“Bulkhead” means a placement of rock, stone, concrete, timber, or similar materials at the shoreline for the purpose of protecting said shoreline from the wave action of the water.
“Catastrophic loss” means a loss which occurs as a result of accidental fire, storm, earthquake or any other natural disaster, or an act of vandalism, terrorism or war.
“Clearing” means the act of destroying or removing trees or groundcover from any lot, public lands, or public right-of-way.
“Development” means:
1. A piece of land that contains buildings, structures, and other modifications to the natural environment; or
2. The alteration of the natural environment through:
a. The construction or exterior alteration of any building or structure, whether above or below ground or water, and any grading, filling, dredging, draining, channelizing, cutting, topping, or excavation associated with such construction or modification.
b. The placing of permanent or temporary obstructions that interfere with the normal public use of the waters and lands subject to this code.
c. The division of land into two or more parcels, and the adjustment of property lines between parcels.
“Dock, pier or wharf” means a structure which extends from the land into the water for recreational purposes.
“Family” means one or more persons (but not more than six unrelated persons) living together in a single housekeeping unit. For purposes of this definition and notwithstanding any other provision of this code, children with familial status within the meaning of Title 42 United States Code, Section 3602(k), and persons with handicaps within the meaning of Title 42 United States Code, Section 3602(h), will not be counted as unrelated persons.
“Fence” means a barrier commonly composed of posts or piers connected by boards, rails, panels or wire, or a masonry wall.
“Gardening shed” means a structure erected for the storage of land gardening equipment, which equipment is used only for the purpose of maintaining the lot upon which the equipment is located.
“Grade, existing” means the surface level at any point on the lot prior to alteration of the ground surface.
“Grade, finished” means the surface of the ground which has been graded in site development to adapt the lot to the dwelling, driveways, streets and adjoining lots, but not to include raised areas such as berms which artificially increase the elevation of local areas.
“Grade, original” means the grade of undisturbed earth which existed at the time of incorporation of the town of Yarrow Point, June 30, 1959.
“Hedges” are defined pursuant to YPMC 20.23.020(D).
“Hot tub” means a hot tub as defined in the Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code, as adopted by the town of Yarrow Point.
“Impervious surface” includes without limitation the following:
1. Buildings: the footprint of the building and structures including all eaves;
2. Vehicular use: driveways, streets, parking areas and other areas, whether constructed of gravel, pavers, pavement, concrete or other material, that can reasonably allow vehicular travel;
3. Sidewalks: paved pedestrian walkways, sidewalks and bike paths;
4. Recreation facilities: patios, porches, tennis courts, sport courts, pools, hot tubs, and other similar recreational facilities;
5. Landscaping: walls and rockeries are considered impervious surfaces; and
6. Miscellaneous: any other structure or hard surface which either prevents or retards the entry of water into the soil mantle as under natural conditions prior to development, or causes water to run off the surface in greater quantities or at an increased rate of flow from present flow rate under natural conditions prior to development.
“Inundated land” means any portion of a lot which is naturally or artificially submerged by the water of Lake Washington.
“Lift station (boat hoist)” means a structure or device attached or adjacent to a dock, wharf or pier used to raise a watercraft above the waterline for secure moorage purposes.
“Lot” means a designated parcel, tract or area of land established by plat, subdivision, or as otherwise permitted by law, to be used, developed or built upon as a unit.
“Lot area” means the total horizontal area included within the lot lines, which shall not include inundated land except where portions of the lot are inundated land created by excavation for the purpose of creating a cove. The lot area shall not include the area provided for private lanes.
“Lot line revision” means an adjustment of boundary lines between existing lots that does not create any additional lots and which does not reduce the area of any existing lot to the point that it fails to meet minimum development code requirements for area and dimensions.
“Low decks” means decks without roof covering having a height above finished grade not more than one foot higher than one-half the distance to the nearest property line but not exceeding three feet. The height does not include railings.
“Lowest adjacent finished grade” means the lowest point of the ground level immediately next to or abutting a building or structure.
“Nonconforming lot” means a lot that has less than the minimum area required by the current code for the zone in which the lot is located.
“Nonconforming structure” means a structure that does not comply with the existing code.
“Nonconforming use” means a use of land not permitted in the existing code.
“Open-work fence” means a fence in which the solid portions are evenly distributed and constitute no more than 50 percent of the total surface area.
“Ordinary repairs and maintenance” means an activity in response to the effects of aging, ordinary use, or wear and tear that restores the character, scope, size, footprint or design of a serviceable area, structure, or land use to its previously existing, authorized or undamaged condition; however, this is not intended to allow total replacement, substitution or reconstruction of a nonconforming structure.
Other Definitions. When any word used in this title is not specifically defined herein, its definition shall be that in Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English Language, and where more than one definition is given, the most common nonprofessional usage shall govern.
“Panhandle driveway” means a means of access to and from a public street or private lane provided for a lot or lots and which is not required to be classified as a private lane per this section. Such a driveway may be an easement, a jointly owned, or privately owned area of land.
“Permanent supportive housing” means one or more subsidized, leased dwelling units with no limit on length of stay that prioritizes people who need comprehensive support services to retain tenancy and utilizes admissions practices designed to use lower barriers to entry than would be typical for other subsidized or unsubsidized rental housing, especially related to rental history, criminal history, and personal behaviors. Permanent supportive housing is paired with on-site or off-site voluntary services designed to support a person living with a complex and disabling behavioral health or physical health condition who was experiencing homelessness or was at imminent risk of homelessness prior to moving into housing to retain their housing and be a successful tenant in a housing arrangement, improve the resident’s health status, and connect the resident of the housing with community-based health care, treatment, or employment services. Permanent supportive housing is subject to all of the rights and responsibilities defined in Chapter 59.18 RCW.
“Private lane” means:
1. The primary means of access to and from a public street provided for more than two building sites with right of use provided by an easement or land ownership; or
2. A means of access which is required to be platted as a private lane per the requirements of YPMC Title 16, Subdivisions.
“Retaining wall/rockery” means a wall of masonry, wood, rock, metal, or other similar materials or combination of similar materials that bears against earth or other fill surface for purposes of resisting lateral or other forces in contact with the wall, and/or the prevention of erosion.
“Setbacks” means a term establishing a minimum distance from the line of ordinary high water, or from the near edge of a public right-of-way, or from the near edge of a private lane or panhandle driveway, or from the line separating adjacent private property to the vertical projections to the ground of the outermost parts of any structure.
Shoreline. The official shoreline, as shown on the town zoning map, shall be the shoreline of Lake Washington at the line of ordinary high water which shall be 22 feet above mean lower low water in Puget Sound.
“Single-family dwelling” means a building designed and/or used to house not more than one family, plus any live-in household employees of such family.
“Spa” means a spa as defined in the Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa arid Hot Tub Code, as adopted by the town of Yarrow Point.
“Storm sewers” means facilities for the control and disposal of rain water and ground water runoff.
“Structure” means anything constructed or erected which requires location on the ground, or attachment to something having a location on the ground.
“Structure area” means the total horizontal area covered by buildings and structures but not to include swimming pools, the portion of roof overhangs less than two and one-half feet, recreational facilities without roofs, piers, boat houses, and low decks.
“Structure height” means the height of any portion of a structure measured vertically from any point to the original grade, but not to include chimneys, or conventional broadcast band TV or radio receiving antennas.
“Swimming pool” means a swimming pool as defined in the Uniform Swimming Pool, Spa and Hot Tub Code, as adopted by the town of Yarrow Point.
“Transitional housing” means one or more dwelling units owned, operated, or managed by a nonprofit organization or governmental entity in which supportive services are provided to individuals and families that were formerly homeless, with the intent to stabilize them and move them to permanent housing within a period of not more than 24 months, or longer if the program is limited to tenants within a specified age range or the program is intended for tenants in need of time to complete and transition from educational or training or service programs.
“Underground structure” means a structure principally underground, which does not exceed the height limitation for low decks.
“Variance” means a modification of standard development code provisions based on special circumstances and complying with the town’s variance criteria.
Vehicles, Large. Vehicles such as trailers, recreational vehicles, motor homes, trucks, SUVs and portable equipment are to be classified as large if their height exceeds seven feet, and to include all vehicles less than seven feet in height having a load capacity exceeding 20,000 pounds gross weight.
“Waterfront structure” means docks, piers, wharves, floats, mooring piles, anchor buoys, bulkheads, submerged or overhead wires, pipes, cables, and any other object passing beneath, through or over the water beyond the line of ordinary high water.
“Waterward” means any point located in Lake Washington, lakeward from the ordinary high water mark.
“Wetlands” means areas that are inundated or saturated by surface water or ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal conditions do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions. Wetlands do not include artificial wetlands, such as irrigation and drainage ditches, grass-lined swales, landscape amenities, and detention facilities unless the artificial wetlands were created to mitigate the alteration of a naturally occurring wetland. (Ord. 737 § 2, 2023; Ord. 733 § 2, 2023; Ord. 722 §§ 3, 4, 2023; Ord. 711 § 1, 2021; Ord. 549 § 1, 2005)