A planned development of land consisting of multiple structures constructed expressly for use and residency of persons who have achieved the minimum age requirement for residency of 55 years or older.

The cultivating of the soil and the raising and harvesting of the products of the soil, including, but not by way of limitation, nursery, horticulture and forestry.

Any change in exit facilities, structural parts or mechanical equipment which does not increase the cubic content of a building.

Satisfactions derived from ownership or occupancy, or both, of a property because of qualities of excellence which characterize the property and its surroundings. In appraising, the term is most frequently used in connection with considerations relating to properties which typically are strongly appealing to prospective buyers for owner occupancy.

A transmitting and/or receiving device used in telecommunications that radiates or captures radio signals.

Any pole, telescoping mast, tower, tripod or any other structure which supports a device used in the transmitting or receiving of radio frequency energy.

A dwelling unit in a building containing three or more units having some common services or facilities, or both, and served by a common entrance hall.

A building containing three or more units having some common services or facilities, or both, and served by a common entrance hall.

Passed upon as satisfactory by the authority by law to give approval to the matter in question.

An establishment that furnishes, in one or more facilities, food and shelter to four or more persons who are unrelated to the proprietor of the establishment and that provides personal care services which include assistance with meals, dressing, movement, bathing, or other personal needs or maintenance; the administration of medication; or the general supervision or oversight of a person’s physical and mental well-being.

A story partly underground but having less than half its clear height below grade. For floodplain management purposes, a basement shall mean any area of the building having its flood subgrade (below ground level) on all sides.

Any enlargement of a building, whether by extending on any side or by increasing in height, any change in the use or classification of a main building or the moving of a building from one location to another.

A plant or operation which has as its primary function the mixing of rock materials with asphalt oils or other binders for road building or construction purposes.

The area remaining on a lot, determined after calculating the developable area, setbacks and all Township land use requirements, on which a structure can be built.

Any structure having enclosing walls and roof, permanently located on the land.

A building subordinate to the principal building on the same lot therewith and used for purposes customarily incidental to those of the principal building.

The aggregate of the maximum horizontal cross-section areas of all buildings on a lot, excluding cornices, eaves and gutters but including porches, breezeways and carports.

The ratio of the total ground floor area of the building or buildings to the area of the lot on which they are located.

The line parallel to the street line at a distance therefrom equal to the depth of the front yard required for the district in which the lot is located, provided that, in the case of a lot where the side lines are not parallel, the building line shall be at that point where minimum lot width first coincides with the required lot width but in no case closer to the street line than the required front yard.

A building in which is conducted the principal use of the lot on which it is situated.

A tract or parcel of land that contains the cellular communications antenna, its support structure, accessory building(s) and parking, and may include other uses associated with and ancillary to cellular communications transmission.

A commercial low-power mobile radio service licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to two providers in a specific geographical area, in which the radio frequency spectrum is divided into discrete channels which are assigned in groups to geographic cells within a service area and which are capable of being reused in different cells within the service area.

A covered pit with open-jointed linings into which raw sewage is discharged, the liquid portion of which is disposed of by seepage or leaching into the surrounding porous soil, the solids or sludge being retained in the pit.

Provision made for traffic within or through buildings, outside areas and communities.

A development pattern wherein structures are arranged in closely related groups, reducing lot sizes and preserving land for open space.

All the real property and improvements set aside for the common use and enjoyment of the residents, including, but not limited to, buildings, open land, private roads, parking areas, walkways, recreation areas, landscaped areas, drainage easements and any utilities that service more than one unit such as sewer and water facilities.

A parcel or parcels of land or an area of water or a combination of land and water within a development site and designed and intended for the use or enjoyment of residents of the development not including streets, off-street parking areas and areas set aside for public facilities. Common open space shall be substantially free of structures but may contain such improvements as are in the development plan as finally approved and as are appropriate for the recreation of residents.

The act of bringing to a condition of physical completeness and readiness for use and occupancy.

The Lower Pottsgrove Township Comprehensive Plan of 1964 and amendments thereto, including maps, charts and/or descriptive matter officially adopted by the Township Planning Commission and Township Commissioners indicating recommendations for the continuing development of the Township and including all elements required by the Pennsylvania Municipalities Planning Code, 53 P.S. § 10101 et seq.

An estate in real property consisting of an undivided interest in a portion of a parcel together with a separate interest in a space within a structure. This form of ownership may be applied in residential, professional office, limited industrial and commercial land uses.

The materials and methods of fabricating the various elements of a structure or building.

The remodeling or alteration of a structure so as to accommodate the provision of more apartment units (or dwelling units) than were originally intended. Conversions would then include the alteration of a nonresidential structure into a dwelling unit for at least one family; the modification of a single-family structure so as to accommodate more units than originally intended.

An open, unoccupied space bounded on two or more sides by the exterior walls of a building or by exterior walls and lot lines.

That percentage of the area of a site occupied by buildings.

A structure at or near the top of the low-power mobile radio service telecommunications facility which provides support and horizontal separation for the antenna(s).

A minor street with entrance and exit at the same end.

The elevation of the top of a curb at a given point with a reference to a designated datum.

A written instrument whereby an estate in real property is conveyed by a grantor to a grantee.

The number of units (persons, families or dwellings) per acre or square mile.

Those floodplain conservation districts specifically designated by this chapter as being inundated primarily by the one-hundred-year flood. Included would be areas identified as Floodway District (FW), Floodway-Fringe (FF), Approximated Floodplain (FA) and alluvial soil.

The channel of a river or other watercourse and the adjacent land areas required to carry and discharge a flood of the one-hundred-year magnitude as specifically defined in this chapter.

Any landowner, agent of such landowner or tenant with the permission of such landowner who makes or causes to be made a subdivision of land or a land development.

Any man-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including, but not limited to, buildings or other structures, the placement of mobile homes, streets and other paving, utilities, mining, dredging, filling, grading, excavation or drilling operations, the subdivision of land and the storage of materials or equipment.

The provisions for development of a planned residential development, including a plat of subdivision, all covenants relating to use, location and bulk of buildings and other structures, intensity of use or density of development, streets, ways and parking facilities, common open space and public facilities. The phrase "provisions of the development plan" shall mean the written and graphic materials mentioned above.

An antenna or array of antennas designed to concentrate a radio signal in a particular area.

A store in the business of filling medical prescriptions and the sale of drugs, medical devices and supplies and nonprescription medicines as well as the sale of retail goods of a general nature and retail services such as photography developing and products, deliveries, etc., which may or may not include a drive-through for the purpose of dropping off and picking up prescriptions.

A house, an apartment or other group of rooms or a single room is regarded as a dwelling when it is occupied or intended for occupancy as separate living quarters, that is, when the occupants do not live and eat with other persons in the structure and there is either: a) direct access from the outside or through a common hall; or b) a kitchen or cooking equipment for the exclusive use of the occupants of the unit.

When described in the pertinent articles of this chapter, the various dwelling types are intended to have the following meanings:

A vested or acquired right to use land other than as a tenant for a specific purpose, such right being held by someone other than the owner who holds title to the land.

The product of the antenna power input and the numerically equal antenna power gain.

An assemblage of equipment for purposes other than generation or utilization, through which electric energy in bulk is passed for the purposes of switching or modifying its characteristics to meet the needs of the general public, provided that in residential districts an electric substation shall not include rotating equipment, storage of materials, trucks or repair facilities, housing of repair crews, offices or places of business.

An establishment where horses or similar animals are boarded and cared for; where instruction in riding, jumping, showing and other related activities is offered; and/or where horses may be hired for riding.

A large, privately owned lot comprising all or part of an area of open land. The purpose of the estate lot is to provide surrounding residents with visual access to open land while keeping the land under private ownership and maintenance. Only a small portion of the estate lot may be developed; the remainder may be farmed or left in its natural state. Public access to estate lots is not required.

A collective body of two or more persons living and cooking together who occupy a dwelling unit as a single housekeeping unit and are related by blood, marriage, adoption, as foster children or domestic bond, or as a community living arrangement (CLA), said CLA being a residential grouping of handicapped people which is designed to emulate a permanent family-like environment with twenty-four-hour supervision by people qualified by training and experience in the field for which the CLA is intended and as licensed under applicable federal, state and local programs.

A temporary condition of partial or complete inundation of normally dry land areas.

Any combination of structural and nonstructural additions, changes or adjustments to structures which reduce or eliminate flood damage to real estate or improved real property, water and sanitary facilities, structures and their contents. Such measures are set forth in floodproofing regulations published by the Office of the Chief Engineers, U.S. Army, Publication No. EP 1165 2 314 (June 1972, and as subsequently amended). Floodproofing measures for all new construction and substantial improvements of structure shall satisfy the requirements of the completely dry spaces (W1) and essentially dry spaces (W2) classes referenced in these regulations. In said publication where reference is made to "below" (or "above") the "BFD" (base flood datum) it shall be interpreted as meaning below (or above) the base flood elevation.

A low-power mobile radio service telecommunications facility that consists of a stand-alone support structure, antennas and associated equipment. The support structure may be a wooden pole, steel monopole, lattice tower, light standard or other vertical support. Whip antennas on a freestanding low-power mobile radio service facility may extend the maximum of 15 feet above the highest portion of a structure to which they are attached; panel antennas may extend a maximum of six feet above the highest portion of the structure to which they are attached.

The extent of a building or of land along a public road or public waterway.

Any area of land, including structures thereon, or any building or part thereof, that is used for the sale of gasoline or other motor vehicle fuel or accessories, and which may or may not include facilities for lubricating, washing or otherwise servicing motor vehicles but which shall not include painting or body and fender repairs.

The total floor area designed for tenant occupancy and exclusive use, including basements, mezzanines and upper floors, if any, expressed in square feet and measured from the center line of joint partitions and from outside wall faces.

A building occupied as a dwelling by no more than five occupants (including house parents and/or supervisors) who receive twenty-four-hour resident supervision, licensed under an applicable state program. If the house parents and/or supervisors serve on a rotating basis, only that number at the dwelling at any one time shall be counted as occupants.

A building's vertical measurement from the main level of the ground surrounding the building to a point midway between the highest and lowest points of the roof, provided that chimneys, spires, towers, elevator penthouses, tanks and similar projections shall not be included in calculating the height.

An area on a roof or on the ground to accommodate landing and takeoff of rotor-wing aircraft (helicopters) for the purpose of picking up and discharging passengers or cargo. Such area shall have sufficient space to accommodate all safety controls, but in no case shall service facilities be provided. A helistop shall comply with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations related to aviation.

Any building listed in "Architectural Survey: Report of 1981-1982, Lower Pottsgrove Township, a project of the Historical Committee of the Cornerstone of the Arts, Inc." October 1984, or any addendum to the building list approved by the Board of Commissioners.

An activity carried out for financial gain by a resident and conducted as a customary, incidental and accessory use in the resident's dwelling which does not change the character thereof. Low-impact home occupations include: dressmaking, millinery, upholstery, furniture refurbishing (excluding paint stripping operations) or similar handicrafts; professional offices of an architect, physician, dentist, engineer, lawyer, musician, photographer, teacher, or practitioner of similar character; day-care of five children or less; or other low-impact home occupations of similar character and impact. Low-impact home occupations shall not include the following: a barber, beauty shop or hair stylist; tearoom; tourist or boardinghouse, bed-and-breakfast; kennel or equestrian facility.

A business or commercial activity administered or conducted as an accessory use which is clearly secondary to the use as a residential dwelling and which involves no customer, client or patient traffic, whether vehicular or pedestrian, pickup, delivery or removal functions to or from the premises in excess of those normally associated with residential use.

A community association combining individual home ownership with shared use or ownership of common property and facilities. The homeowner owns the lot, including the interior and exterior of the individual home, while the association owns and maintains the common facilities.

A building used for the purpose of furnishing for compensation more or less temporary lodging to the public, with or without meals, and having lodging accommodations for 10 or more persons.

Any area or surface which prevents the infiltration of water into the ground. Impervious surfaces include but are not limited to any structure, roof, walkways, swimming pools, parking or driveway areas, areas covered by gravel, concrete, non-porous asphalt and/or similar material, and any other similar areas determined by the Township Engineer/Building Inspector to be impervious.

A structure or public utility or an other installation or physical change made in a property with a view to increasing its value, utility or beauty.

A facility containing dwelling units, accessory uses and support services specifically designed for occupancy by persons 55 years of age or older. Such facilities may include accommodations for persons who are fully ambulatory or who require no medical or personal assistance or supervision, as well as accommodations for persons who require only limited or intermittent medical or personal assistance.

Any structure or premises in which more than six dogs or domesticated small animals more than one year old are housed, groomed, bred, boarded, trained or sold.

The legal or beneficial owner or owners of land, including the holder of an option or contract to purchase (whether or not such option or contract is subject to any condition), a lessee having a remaining term of not less than 40 years, or other person having a proprietary interest in land, shall be deemed to be a landowner.

A part of the earth's surface or the view of a portion of land or land and water as seen from any given point.

The alteration of existing ground conditions together with construction and development of ground features, including minor structures.

A guyed or self-supporting three- or four-sided open, steel frame structure used to support telecommunications equipment.

A space accessible from a street or way, in a building or on a lot, for the temporary use of vehicles while loading or unloading merchandise or materials.

A designated parcel, tract or area of land established by a plat or otherwise as permitted by law and to be used, developed or built upon as a unit.

A system of low-power commercial telecommunications facilities which allows wireless conversation to occur from site to site.

Mobile service provided for various uses, including: a) for profit; b) interconnected to public switch network; c) available to the public for such classes of eligible users as to be effectively available to a substantial portion of the public, which service must propose to or have developed multiple network sites within the County of Montgomery and any surrounding counties bordering Lower Pottsgrove Township.

An unmanned facility consisting of equipment for the reception, switching and/or receiving of wireless telecommunications operating at 1,000 watts or less effective radiated power (ERP), including, but not limited to, the following:

The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). An unfinished or flood-resistant enclosure usable solely for parking of vehicles, building access or storage in an area other than a basement area is not considered a building's lowest floor, provided that such enclosure is not built so as to render the structure in violation of the applicable nonelevation design requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program regulations.

A grass or low shrub field maintained so as not to become a forest.

A low-power mobile radio service telecommunications facility used to provide increase capacity in high cell demand areas or to improve coverage in areas of weak coverage. Microcells communicate with the primary low-power mobile radio service facility in a coverage area via fiber-optic cable or microwave. Coverage area for a microcell is typically a one-mile radius or less. Microcells shall not exceed the following maximum characteristics:

A dish-like antenna manufactured in many sizes and shapes used to link communications sites together by wireless transmission of voice or data.

The least environmental disturbance possible give the allowed development density. It shall not mean zero loss of vegetation or slope disturbance and it shall be incumbent upon the applicant to prove that vegetation loss and slope disturbance is minimized.

A transportable, single-family dwelling intended for permanent occupancy, office or place of assembly, contained in one or more sections, built on a permanent chassis, which arrives at a site complete and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations and constructed so that it may be used with or without a permanent foundation. The term does not include recreational vehicles or travel trailers. For floodplain management purposes, the term includes park trailers, travel trailers, recreational and other similar vehicles which are placed on a site for more than 180 consecutive days.

A parcel of land in a mobile home park improved with the necessary utility connections and other appurtenances necessary for the erection thereon of a single mobile home.

A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land which has been so designated and improved that it contains two or more mobile home lots for the placement thereon of mobile homes.

A structure composed of a single spire used to support telecommunications equipment.

A building or a group of two or more detached or semidetached buildings containing rooms or apartments having separate ground-floor entrances provided directly or closely in connection with automobile parking or storage space serving such rooms or apartments, which building or group of buildings is designed, intended or used principally for the providing of sleeping accommodations for automobile travelers and is suitable for occupancy at all seasons of the year.

In a cluster subdivision, a development consisting of between five and 25 single-family detached dwellings surrounded by open land that comprises at least 50% of the tract area.

See definition of "buildable area."

Structures for which the start of construction commenced on or after December 1, 1980, and includes any subsequent improvements to such structures.[1]

A lot the area or dimension of which was lawful prior to the adoption or amendment of a zoning ordinance, but which fails to conform to the requirements of the zoning district in which it is located by reasons of such adoption or amendment.

A structure or part of a structure manifestly not designed to comply with the applicable use or extent of use provisions in a zoning ordinance or amendment heretofore or hereafter enacted, where such structure lawfully existed prior to the enactment of such ordinance or amendment or prior to the application of such ordinance or amendment to its location by reason of annexation. Such nonconforming structures include, but are not limited to, nonconforming signs.

A use, whether of land or of structure, which does not comply with the applicable use provisions in a zoning ordinance or amendment heretofore or hereafter enacted, where such use was lawfully in existence prior to the enactment of such ordinance or amendment, or prior to the application of such ordinance or amendment to its location by reason of annexation.

Land separated by roads, railroads or land where the connecting link is less than 50 feet wide.

A facility that provides lodging and skilled nursing care for elderly, disabled, chronically ill or convalescent patients.

An antenna that is equally effective in all directions, and whose size varies with the frequency and gain for which it is designed.

A flood that, on the average, is likely to occur once every 100 years (i.e., that has a one-percent chance of occurring each year, although the flood may occur in any year). This is more precisely defined/delineated in this chapter in § 250-38.

The elevation of the one-hundred-year flood as referenced in the Flood Insurance Study, prepared by the Federal Insurance Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency. Within the Approximated Floodplain or other floodplain where the one-hundred-year flood elevation is not provided, this elevation shall be established as a point on the boundary of the approximated or other floodplain closest to the construction site in question.

Within a cluster subdivision, that portion of a tract (at least 60%) that is set aside for the protection of sensitive natural features, farmland, scenic views and other unique features. Open land may be accessible to the residents of the development and/or the municipality or it may contain areas of farmland or estate lots which are not accessible to the public.

A reasonably level space available for the parking of one motor vehicle not less than 10 feet wide and 18 feet deep, exclusive of passageways, driveways or other means of circulation or access.

A parking space surfaced to whatever extent necessary to permit reasonable use under all conditions of weather.

An area of land, controlled by a landowner, to be developed as a single entity for a variety of dwelling types and incidental institutional or commercial uses if deemed desirable by the Board of Commissioners.

All other forms of wireless telecommunications which have similar physical facilities as commercial low-power mobile radio service, but which do not meet the definition of "commercial mobile radio service."

An office for a physician, lawyer, dentist, architect, professional engineer, planner or other such profession, but not including beauty shop or mortuary.

A formal meeting held pursuant to public notice by the Board of Commissioners or planning agency intended to inform and obtain public comment prior to taking action in accordance with this chapter.

Notice published once each week for two successive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the Township. Such notice shall state the time and place of the hearing and the particular nature of the matter to be considered at the hearing. The first publication shall not be more than 30 days and the second publication shall not be less than seven days from the date of the hearing.

A building or structure and its equipment used for the transmission and exchange of telephone, radio, television, gas, power, sewer and water facilities; provided, however, that in a residential district these shall not include public business facilities, storage of materials, trucks or repair facilities or housing of repair crews.

An excavation or other place from which stone, gravel, sand, slate or other minerals are removed by cutting, digging, blasting or other means and including, but not limited to, those related operations of crushing, sorting, sizing or stockpiling of quarried materials including overburden and topsoil as well as sediment basins and equipment maintenance and parking area.

The process of removing stone, gravel, sand, slate or other minerals by cutting, digging, blasting or other means and including, but not limited to, those related operations of crushing, sorting, sizing or stockpiling of quarried materials including overburden and topsoil as well as sediment basins and equipment maintenance and parking area.

A plant or operation which has as its primary function the mixing of materials to make concrete.

A low-power mobile radio service telecommunications facility that extends coverage of a cell to areas not covered by the originating cell. Repeater facilities shall not exceed the following maximum characteristics.

An area of land, whether or not paved or otherwise improved in any way, acquired by reservation, dedication, prescription or condemnation and intended to be occupied by a street, crosswalk, railroad, electric transmission lines, oil or gas pipeline, waterline, sanitary storm sewer or other similar public or private uses.

The legal lines that form the boundaries of a right-of-way.

The minimum width for a street or other corridor, computed from the center line, as required by state or federal highway departments or as described in the Township Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (Chapter 215), which is expected to be needed in the future to adequately and properly accommodate the anticipated vehicular and pedestrian traffic and related appurtenances, based on the function of the road in the circulation system, and is the line from which required setbacks are measured.

A low-power mobile radio service telecommunications facility in which antennas are mounted to an existing structure on the roof (including rooftop appurtenances) or building face. Roof- or building-mounted facilities may include microcell and/or repeater facilities. Such facilities must be screened, constructed or colored to match the existing structure to which they are attached. Roof- and/or building-mounted facilities shall not exceed the following maximum criteria:

Any dwelling or part thereof in which space is let by the owner or operator to more than five persons who are not members of the family.

A public sanitary sewer system or a comparable common or package sanitary sewer facility approved by the appropriate governmental health agency.[2]

The ownership of a lot by one or more persons, partnerships or corporations, which ownership is separate and distinct from that of any adjoining lot.

Structures such as homes, offices or retail buildings; but does not include sheds, garages or other outbuildings.

See definition of "developable area."

A determination by the Zoning Hearing Board from the terms of this chapter (see Article XXX, § 250-222).

That part of a building comprised between any floor and the floor or roof next above.

A public or privately owned right-of-way serving as a means of vehicular and pedestrian travel, furnishing access to abutting properties.

See "ultimate right-of-way line."

Any form or arrangement of building materials involving or providing proper support, bracing, tying, anchoring or other protection against the forces of the elements.

The science or technology of communications by electronic transmission of impulses as by telegraph, cable, telephone, radio, television, microwave, earth station broadcast/cable television communications and other similar technology not otherwise enumerated and as may evolve after enactment of this chapter.

A building and its equipment erected and used for the purpose of facilitating transmission and exchange of telephone or radio telephone messages between subscribers and other business of the telephone company.

A dwelling in which sleeping accommodations for less than 10 persons are provided or offered primarily for automobile travelers for compensation.

A parcel or multiple adjacent assembled parcels, all of the same owner or equitable owner, intended for subdivision or land development, treated as one parcel for calculation purposes. A tract may be bisected by a road, right-of-way, railroad, property line or watercourse.

A vehicle without motive power which may be towed on public highways by a passenger automobile without a special hauling permit, which is designed for human occupancy under transient circumstances such as camping, travel or other recreation, and having a body width not exceeding eight feet and a body length not exceeding 32 feet.

A parcel of land under single ownership which has been planned and improved for the placement of trailers for transient use.

See "right-of-way, ultimate."

A determination by the Zoning Hearing Board from the terms of this chapter (see Article XXX, § 250-222).

The remodeling or alteration of a residential structure to accommodate more dwelling units than existing; and/or the transformation of a structure either from a residential use to a nonresidential use or from a nonresidential use to a residential use.

An antenna that is cylindrical in shape which can be directional or omnidirectional. Its size varies based upon the frequency and gain for which it is designed.

An open unoccupied space on the same lot with a building or other structure or use, open and unobstructed from the ground to the sky.

Division of all of the land of an entire political subdivision into districts having different regulations pertaining to use of land and height, area, bulk and use of buildings and yard requirements and, in some states, density of population. Zoning is effected by local ordinance under the police power of the state granted by specific legislation generally termed an "enabling act."

Zoning is a part of city or community planning designed to promote and protect the health, safety, morals, convenience, prosperity and general welfare of the inhabitants of the community. By a zoning ordinance, a municipality may be divided into districts in which the use of land; the use, height and bulk of buildings; the density of population; and the area of the lot upon which buildings may be placed are regulated. (From "The Preparation of Zoning Ordinances," 1931.)

Formerly the "Zoning Board of Adjustment," as defined in Article XXX, herein.