La Mirada Municipal Code Ch. 20.08 Definitions

In the construction of this title, certain words and terms are hereby defined as set out herein.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Access required" means that lots or parcels shall have approved access to a dedicated street.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Access rights" mean the right of owners or occupants of land abutting an alley, street or highway to gain direct access to such alley, street or highway.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Access rights waived" means a waiver of direct access rights to any alley, street or highway.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

The planning commission is hereby designated the advisory agency to the city council on all matters related to the division of land.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Block" means a tract of land bounded by streets, or a combination of streets, public parks, cemeteries, railroad right-of-way, or flood control channels.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Centerline" means a line established by the engineer and designated as "centerline," "proposed centerline," "adopted centerline," or "construction centerline" on a series of maps filed in the office of the engineer. Where two or more such designations are shown on any map in the series, the line labeled "adopted centerline" is deemed to be the official centerline.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"City" unless otherwise noted, refers to the city of La Mirada.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Commercial subdivision" means a subdivision in which the primary use of the land is commercial as defined by the zoning ordinance of the city, and in which such other uses may be permitted as are clearly incidental to the commercial development.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Condominium" is a term to describe the dividing of real property into lots or parcels, including parcels of air space, whereby a divided separate fee is conveyed for such parcels, including an undivided proportionate share in the common areas and facilities.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Corner lot" means a lot situated at the intersection of two streets, the interior angle of such intersection not exceeding one hundred twenty degrees.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"County" means the county of Los Angeles.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Dedication" means the grant by an owner of any real property to the city for use as a public alley, street, highway or easement.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Design" means minimum area, width, grading and general layout of lots and the alignment, grades, and widths of alleys, streets, highways, easements and rights-of-way for drainage facilities, water mains, sanitary sewers, utilities and other public purposes.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Development plan" means a site plan showing the design, location and all proposed improvements of streets, lots and other proposed site improvements, with particular reference to the location of buildings in relation to lot lines and to finish grade elevations.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Division of land" means an action whereby land is divided in accordance with the provisions of this title and the Subdivision Map Act.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Driveway" means a private vehicular right-of-way which primarily functions to provide access to lots or parcels from an alley, street or highway.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Director" means the director of planning of the city.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Drainage facility" means any drainage device or structure which may be used to control the flow of water and/or alleviate flood hazard, including but not limited to berms, channels, culverts, curbs, ditches, gutters, pavement, pipes, walls, and safety devices appurtenant to drainage or water reclamation structures.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Easement" means the right of passage or use, or the right to prevent the use, of land by a person other than the owner of the land.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Effective lot width" means the distance between side lot lines, or side lot lines extended, measured perpendicular to the median at the point of intersection of the median and the front lot lines.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Engineer" means the city engineer of La Mirada.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Final map" means a map of a proposed subdivision prepared in accordance with the provisions of this title and the Subdivision Map Act which is prepared in a manner to be filed in the office of the county recorder.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Flood hazard" means a potential danger to life, land or improvements due to inundation or to storm water runoff having sufficient velocity to transport or deposit debris, scour the surface soil, dislodge or damage buildings, or erode the banks of water courses.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Frontage" means that portion of a lot or parcel which abuts a public or private alley, street or highway.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Future dedication" means any real property which the owner thereof has offered to dedicate as a public alley, street, highway or easement which offer is subject to the right of the city council to accept the dedication at any later date.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Geological hazard" means a hazard inherent in the earth, or artificially created, which is dangerous or potentially dangerous to life, property or improvements due to the movement, failure or shifting of earth.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"General plan" means a comprehensive long term plan, including the elements thereof, adopted by the city.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Improvements" mean such structures or facilities to be installed or agreed to be installed by a person on land to be used for public or private alleys, streets, highways or other easements as a condition precedent to the approval and acceptance of a final map or parcel map, including but not limited to street surfacing, curbs, gutters, sidewalks, street trees, lights, street signs, sanitary sewers, utilities, water mains and drainage facilities.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Improvement plan" means a plan showing the location and construction detail of streets, roads, drainage facilities, sanitary sewers and structures, and other on-and-off tract improvements for a subdivision.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Industrial subdivision" means a subdivision in which the primary use of the land is industrial as defined by the zoning ordinance of the city, and in which such other uses may be permitted as are clearly incidental to the industrial development.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Interior lot" means a lot other than a corner lot or reversed corner lot.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Key lot" means a lot the sides of which adjoin the rear line of one or more adjoining lots.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Lease" means an oral or written agreement or contract, tenancy at will, month-to-month, or other similar tenancy.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Lot" means that portion of land in a subdivision to be occupied by a building or group of buildings and accessory buildings, together with such yards and lot area as are required by this title and by the zoning ordinance of the city, and having its principal frontage on a street.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Lot area" means the number of square feet of land area contained within the property lines of the lot.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Lot depth" means the horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines, measured along the median between the two side lot lines.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Lot lines" mean the lines bounding a lot.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Lot split" means the division of any real property into two to four parcels for the purpose of transfer of ownership, sale, or lease, whether immediate or future.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Lot width" means the horizontal distance between the side lot lines, measured at right angles to the lot depth at a point midway between front and rear lot lines.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Median of a lot" means a line any point on which is equidistant from the side lot lines measured along lines drawn perpendicular to the side lot lines from the median.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Minor land division" refers to a division of real property, improved or unimproved, or portion thereof, within the city, shown on the last equalized assessment tax roll as a unit or contiguous units, which is divided into two, three, or four parcels, except that minor land division does not include:

(1) Land dedicated for cemetery purposes under the Health and Safety Code of the state of California;

(2) The leasing of apartments, offices, stores, or similar space within an apartment, industrial or commercial building, or within a trailer park;

(3) Division by mineral, oil or gas leases;

(4) Divisions made solely to dedicate streets, pedestrian ways, utility or for other public use purposes.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Nonaccess strip" means a strip of land not less than one foot in width deeded to the city for the purpose of regulating access to a partially dedicated or deadend alley, street or highway.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Owner" means any person having title to the land proposed to be divided under the provisions of this title.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Parcel" means a contiguous quantity of land other than a lot.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Parcel map" means a map showing the division of land prepared in accordance with the provisions of this title and the Subdivision Map Act which is prepared in a manner to be filed in the office of the county recorder.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Parkway" means that portion of a street or highway which lies between the roadway and the right-of-way line.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Person" means any individual, corporation, company, firm, association, partnership, copartnership, joint venture, joint stock company, receiver, syndicate, club, estate, business trust, organization or any other legal entity, or the authorized representative thereof.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Public way" means any street, alley, or path as herein before defined, which is dedicated to public use or owned by the city.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Residential subdivision" means a subdivision in which the primary use of the land is residential as defined by the zoning ordinance of the city.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Reversed corner lot" means a corner lot the side street line of which is substantially a continuation of the front line of the lot to its rear.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Right-of-way" means an area of land reserved for public or private easements.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Roadway" means that portion of a street or highway intended to accommodate the movement of vehicular traffic.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Section" means a section of this title unless otherwise specified.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Service road island" means that portion of the right-of-way which separates the roadways of a highway and a service road.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Shall" is mandatory, "may" is permissive.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Specifications" mean specifications and supplemental design standards for subdivisions, sanitary sewers, storm drains, streets, and highways in the city. These are specifications adopted by the city council prescribing the materials and workmanship to be used in the construction of improvements made pursuant to this title.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Street" means a way for vehicular traffic whether designated as a street, highway, thoroughfare, parking, road, avenue, boulevard, lane, place, court, circle, drive or way. It does not include a path or alley.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

(a) "Freeway" means a divided highway for through traffic with full control of access and with grade separations at intersections.

(b) "Expressway" means a highway for through traffic which may have partial control of access, but which may or may not be divided or have grade separation at intersections.

(c) "Parkway" means a highway designed for pleasure travel, together with appropriate roadside complementary facilities, which is shown as a "parkway" on the general plan.

(d) "Scenic highway" means a thoroughfare of scenic importance in the city, county or state highway system and shown as a "scenic highway" on the general plan.

(e) "Major highway" means a thoroughfare of major importance in the city, county or state highway system and shown as a "major highway" on the general plan.

(f) "Secondary highway" means a thoroughfare of secondary importance in the city, county or state highway system and shown as a "secondary highway" on the general plan.

(g) "Collector street" means a street designed to convey vehicular traffic from interior local streets to a highway.

(h) "Local street" means a street designed to provide access to abutting property and serving local as distinct from through traffic.

(i) "Frontage or service road" means that portion of a major or secondary highway lying outside the principal roadway thereof, separated therefrom, and providing access to abutting property.

(j) "Cul-de-sac street" means a street which by design is not intended to be a through street and at the termination of which there is provided a turning area for the convenient reversing of vehicular traffic.

(k) "Dead-end street" means a street which terminates at a property line and which is designed to provide access to other properties.

(l) "Industrial street" means a street designed to service industrial traffic and trucks for interior street in an industrial area.

(m) "Private road easement" means a parcel of land not dedicated as a public street over which a private easement for street purposes has been granted to the owners of property receiving access therefrom, and for which the instrument creating same has been duly filed in the office of the county recorder.

(n) "Private street" means a private road easement as defined herein above which has been determined by the advisory agency or the director to be adequate for access to adjacent or contiguous property.

(o) "Alley" means a public right-of-way other than a street or highway which affords a means of vehicular access to lots or parcels.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Subdivider" means a person, firm, corporation, partnership, or association who causes land to be divided.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Subdivision" means any real property, improved or unimproved, or a portion thereof, shown on the last preceding tax roll as a unit or as continuous units, which is divided for the purpose of transfer of ownership, sale, lease, or financing whether immediate or future by any subdivider into five or more parcels.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Subdivision Map Act" means California Government Code Sections 66410 through 66499.58.

(Ord. 491 § 19, 1995; Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Subdivision review committee" means the city planning commission or a committee made up of city staff members and/or a combination of commissioners and city staff to review subdivisions.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Tentative map" means a preliminary map or plan of a proposed division of land prepared in accordance with the provisions of this title and the Subdivision Map Act.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).

"Through lot" means a lot having frontage on two parallel or approximately parallel streets.

(Ord. 121 Art. II (part), 1967).