Article 1 — Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter, unless otherwise apparent from the context, certain words and phrases used in this chapter are defined as set forth in this article.

Advisory Agency, as used in the Subdivision Map Act and this chapter, shall mean the Planning Commission of the City. The Advisory Agency shall make investigations and reports on the design and improvement of proposed subdivisions, including subdivisions as defined by the Subdivision Map Act and this chapter. The Advisory Agency shall make its reports on tentative maps to the Council.

(Ord. 230, § 200)

Alley shall mean a public way, other than a local street or major, secondary, or State highway, which public way provides a secondary means of vehicular access to abutting property. (Ord. 230, § 201)

City Engineer shall mean the County Engineer in respect to matters pertaining to this chapter, unless the Council, by resolution or otherwise, shall appoint any other person or agency to serve as such City Engineer.

(Ord. 230, § 204)

Commission shall mean the Planning Commission of the City. (Ord. 230, § 205)

Design shall mean the following:

• (a) Street alignments, grades, and widths;

• (b) Drainage and sanitary facilities and utilities, including the alignments and grades thereof;

• (c) The location and size of all required easements and rights-of-way;

• (d) Fire roads and firebreaks;

• (e) Lot size and configurations;

• (f) Traffic access;

• (g) Grading;

• (h) Land to be dedicated for park or recreational purposes; and

• (i) Such other specific requirements in the plan and configuration of the entire subdivision as may be necessary or convenient to insure conformity to, or the implementation of, the General Plan.

• (Ord. 230, § 206)

Division of land shall mean any parcel or contiguous parcels of land, improved or unimproved, which are divided for the purpose of transfer of title, sale, lease, or financing, whether immediate or future, into two or more parcels. Division of land shall not include:

• (a) Land dedicated for cemetery purposes pursuant to the Health and Safety Code of the State;

• (b) The leasing or financing of apartments, offices, stores, or similar space within apartment buildings, industrial buildings, commercial buildings, mobile home parks, or trailer parks; and

• (c) Divisions by mineral, oil, or gas leases.

Division of land shall also mean a condominium project, as defined in Section 1350 of the Civil Code of the State, and a community apartment project, as defined in Section 11004 of the Business and Professions Code of the State, containing two or more parcels. (Ord. 230, § 208)

Drainage facility shall mean any drainage device or structure which may be used to control or direct the flow of water and/or alleviate flood hazards, including, but not limited to, berms, channels, culverts, curbs, ditches, gutters, pavement, and pipes. (Ord. 230, § 209)

Flood hazard shall mean a potential danger to life, land, or improvements due to inundation or storm water runoff having sufficient velocity to transport or deposit debris, scour the surface soil, dislodge or damage buildings, or erode the banks of watercourses. (Ord. 230, § 210)

Frontage shall mean that portion of a lot or parcel which abuts a public or private street or highway to which the lot or parcel has the right of access. (Ord. 230, § 211)

Future street shall mean any real property which the owner thereof has offered for dedication for street purposes and which offer has been rejected by the Council, subject to the right of the Council to rescind its act and accept, by resolution, at any later date and without further action by the owner, all or part of such property as a public street. (Ord. 230, § 212)

Geological hazard shall mean a hazard inherent in the earth or artificially created, which geological hazard is dangerous or potentially dangerous to life, property, or improvements due to the movement, failure or shifting of earth. (Ord. 230, § 213)

Improvement shall mean street work and utilities to be installed, or agreed to be installed, by the subdivider on land to be used for such public or private streets, highways, ways, and easements as are necessary for the general use of the lot owners in the subdivision and local neighborhood traffic and drainage needs as a condition precedent to the approval and acceptance of the final map thereof. Improvement shall also mean such other specific improvements or types of improvements, the installation of which, either by the subdivider, public agencies, private utilities, or any other entity approved by the local agency, or by a combination thereof, is necessary or convenient to insure conformity to, or the implementation of, the general plan. (Ord. 230, § 214)

Lease shall mean and include oral, as well as written, leases, tenancies at will and month-to-month or similar tenancies.

(Ord. 230, § 215)

Local City street shall mean a City street not designated as a major, secondary, or State highway. (Ord. 230, § 216)

Lot shall mean a unit of land identified with a separate or distinct number on a final map or parcel map filed in the office of the County Recorder. (Ord. 230, § 217)

Major highway shall mean a City street, existing or proposed, adopted as a major highway by the City and designated by the City, after a public hearing, as a part of the Highways Element of the Master Plan.

(Ord. 230, § 218)

Master Plan shall mean a General Plan, or any element thereof, adopted by the City pursuant to the provisions of the Planning and Zoning Law, Article 6 of Chapter 3 of Title 7 of the Government Code of the State.

(Ord. 230, § 219)

Person shall mean any individual, corporation, company, firm, association, partnership, copartnership, joint venture, joint stock company, receiver, syndicate, club, estate, business trust, organization, or any other entity, or the authorized agents thereof. (Ord. 230, § 220)

(See "Commission," Section 9-1.105 of this article.)

Planning Director shall mean the City Manager or his or her authorized representative. (Ord. 230, § 207)

Secondary highway shall mean a City street, existing or proposed, adopted as a secondary highway by the City and designated by the City, after a public hearing, as a part of the Highways Element of the Master Plan.

(Ord. 230, § 221)

State highway shall mean a street under the jurisdiction of the State. (Ord. 230, § 224)

Subdivider shall mean a person, firm, corporation, partnership, or association which proposes to divide, divides, or causes land to be divided into a subdivision as defined in Section 9-1.125 of this article.

(Ord. 230, § 225)

Subdivision shall mean any property, improved or unimproved, or a portion thereof, shown on the latest adopted County tax roll as a unit, or as contiguous units, which are divided for the purpose of sale, lease, or financing, whether immediate or future. Subdivision shall not include:

• (a) Land dedicated for cemetery purposes pursuant to the Health and Safety Code of the State;

• (b) The leasing of apartments, offices, stores, or similar space within apartment buildings, industrial buildings, commercial buildings, mobile home parks, or trailer parks; and

(c) Divisions by mineral, oil, or gas leases. (Ord. 230, § 226)

Subdivision Map Act shall mean Division 2 of Title 7 of the Government Code of the State. (Ord. 230, § 227)

Superintendent of Streets shall mean the County Road Commissioner in respect to functions to be performed pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, unless the Council, by resolution or otherwise, shall appoint any other person or agency to serve as such Superintendent of Streets. (Ord. 230, § 228)

Zoning Law shall mean the Zoning Law of the City of Artesia set forth in Chapter 4 of this title. (Ord. 230, § 229)