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AASHTO – American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials.

ADA – Americans with Disabilities Act.

APWA – American Public Works Association.

Abandoned Newsrack – Newsrack that has not been stocked with new materials for 90 days or more. Whether a newsrack has not been stocked with new materials for 90 days or more is determined by the date of printing of any remaining materials. In the case of newsracks containing undated materials or empty newsracks, whether a newsrack has not been stocked with new materials for 90 days or more will be documented in the records of City Code Compliance.

Abutting – Lots with a common boundary line, except that where two or more lots adjoin only at a corner or corners, they will not be considered as abutting unless the common property line between the two parcels measures eight (8) feet or more in a single direction.

Abutting Property – Includes all property having frontage upon the sides or margins of any street; such property is chargeable.

Applicant – Any person or entity applying for the issuance or renewal of a permit under the provisions of Title 11.

Average Peak Hour Corridor Travel Speed – Critical direction average corridor speed established by the Director through sampling the time it takes to drive the length of a corridor and dividing it by the length of the corridor.

BCR – Back of curb return.

Banner – Any pliable canvas or cloth or non-pliable sign material or holiday or festival décor, such as garland or similar décor, stretched over or across any City right of way.

CDF – Controlled density fill.

Carrier – Pipe directly enclosing a transmitted fluid or gas.

Casing – Larger pipe enclosing a carrier for the purpose of providing structural or other protection to the carrier and/or to allow carrier replacement without re-excavation, jacking, or boring.

City – City of Vancouver, Washington.

City Property – All real property owned by the City, other than public rights of way and utility easements as those terms are defined herein, and all property held in a proprietary capacity by the City, which are not subject to right-of-way permitting or franchising.

Clark County – Clark County, Washington.

Concurrency Corridor – Extent of a principal or minor arterial roadway identified in the transportation element of the comprehensive plan.

Concurrency Corridor Built to Ultimate Capacity – For the purposes of administering concurrency standards pursuant to VMC 11.70, a corridor designated by City Council ordinance as a concurrency corridor built to ultimate capacity.

Concurrent – Transportation improvements or strategies necessary to address the transportation impacts of the development are in place at the time of development, or a financial commitment is in place to complete the improvements or strategies within six (6) years.

Construct – Build or improve a roadway by putting separate parts together according to a previously developed plan.

Corridor Management Plan – Access management, demand management, or multimodal mobility plan adopted by the City.

Development – Any human-made change to improved or unimproved real estate, including, but not limited to, mining, dredging, filling, drilling, grading, paving, or excavation (including all trenchless methods of excavation), storage of equipment or materials, any subdivision or short platting of land, and construction or reconstruction of residential, commercial, industrial, public, or any other building or building space. Also includes the change in use of a building or land if approval is required pursuant to Title 17 (Building Code) of the Vancouver Municipal Code. As related to the tree conservation ordinance, development means the division of a parcel of land into two or more parcels; the construction, reconstruction, conversion, structural alteration, relocation, or enlargement of any structure; or any mining, excavation, landfill, clearing, or land disturbance.

Director – Director of Public Works or the Director’s designee.

Distributor – Person responsible for placing, installing, or maintaining a newsrack.

Ecology – Washington State Department of Ecology

Emergency – Any condition constituting a clear and present danger to the health, safety, or welfare of persons or property located within the City, including, but not limited to, damage to persons or property from natural or manmade eventualities, such as storm, earthquake, riot, or war, as well as subscriber service interruption and pollution of the environment.

Emergency Access – Entry or approach to be used for situations posing immediate risk to health, life, property, or the environment.

Emergency Repair – Work necessary to restore the destruction or dilapidation of real property or its structural appurtenances caused by fire, flood, or earthquake or other disaster.

Encasement – Structural element surrounding a pipe or conduit to prevent future physical damage to the pipe or conduit.

Event Organizer – Any person who conducts, manages, promotes, organizes, aids, or solicits attendance at a commercial or non-commercial small event.

Existing Level of Service – The level of service on a transportation concurrency corridor as determined by the Director pursuant to the requirements of the code.

Expressive Activity – Conduct, the sole or principal object of which is the expression, dissemination, or communication by verbal, visual, literary, or auditory means of opinions, views, or ideas for which no fee or donation is charged or required as a condition of participating in or attending such an activity. For purposes of this title, expressive activity does not include sports events, fundraising events, or events the principal purpose of which is entertainment.

FHWA – Federal Highway Administration.

Franchise – Initial or renewed non-exclusive and revocable authorization granted by City Council in conformity with the city charter and state and federal law for the construction or operation by a utility of facilities within the City’s rights of way for the purpose of offering utility services to customers, subscribers, or patrons.

Franchised Utilities – Utilities that have a franchise, or in the case of a service provider, a master use permit, and include the lawful successor, transferee, or assignee of a franchised utility subject to such conditions as may be defined in the franchise, master use permit, or by the ordinances of the City.

Frontage – That portion of a parcel of property that abuts a dedicated public street or highway or approved private street, from property line to property line.

ITE – Institute of Transportation Engineers.

ITE Manuals – Most recent editions of two publications by ITE: Trip Generation, An ITE Informational Report and Trip Generation Handbook, An ITE Recommended Practice.

Improve – Better the condition of a roadway by correcting or adding elements to it according to a previously developed plan.

Inspector – City employee or City agent designated by the Director to conduct inspections of work within the right of way.

Level of Service or LOS – Established minimum capacity of public facilities or services that must be provided per unit of demand or other appropriate measure of need. LOS standards are synonymous with locally established minimum standards.

Level of Service Standard – Concurrency corridor standards adopted by the City Council in the comprehensive plan.

Low Impact Development (LID) – A stormwater and land use management strategy that strives to mimic pre-disturbance hydrologic processes of infiltration, filtration, storage, evaporation and transpiration by emphasizing conservation, use of on-site natural features, site planing, and distributed stormwater management practices that are integrated into a project design.

Low Impact Development Best Management Practices or (LID BMPs) – Distributed stormwater management practices, integrated into a project design, that emphasize pre-disturbance hydrologic processes of infiltration, filtration, storage, evaporation and transpiration. LID BMPs include, but are not limited to, bioretention, rain gardens, permeable pavements, roof downspout controls, dispersion, soil quality and depth, minimal excavation foundations, vegetated roofs, and water re-use.

MUTCD – Current edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices as published by the FHWA and as adopted by WSDOT pursuant to RCW 47.36.

Manual or Administrative Manual – Document published by the Director pursuant to VMC 11.70.040.

Master Use Permit – This term has the meaning ascribed to it in Chapter 35.99 RCW, as may be amended.

Material Encroachment – Any encroachment into the public right of way that significantly affects the public health or safety, access to property, the traditional function of the right of way, clearance for vehicles or pedestrians, or vision clearance, or any encroachment that would cause nonconformance with ADA requirements.

Mobile Caterer – Person engaged in the business of transporting food and beverages in motor vehicles to residential, business, or industrial establishments pursuant to prearranged schedules and of limited daily duration and in dispensing items from the vehicles for retail sale.

Multiple Newsrack – Newsrack designed to dispense two or more different publications.

NGVD – National Geodetic Vertical Datum.

NRCS – Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Net New Trips – Trip generation calculated using methods from the ITE manuals for the proposed use less net pre-existing site trips, as approved by the Director.

Net Pre-Existing Site Trips – Trip generation calculated using methods from the ITE manuals for a pre-existing site use, as approved by the Director.

Newsrack – Self-service or coin-operated box, container, or other dispenser installed, used, or maintained on the sidewalk or planting strip for the sale or distribution of newspapers, periodicals, or other publications.

Nonprofit – Not conducted for monetary gain unless for charitable purposes.

OSHA – US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Peak Hour – Weekday PM hour with the highest hourly volume of traffic on the City’s streets adjusted for the day of the week and the month of the year, as determined by the Director.

Permanent Structure – Any structure or infrastructure that is essential to the use and value of a property for a permitted use or building without which the permitted use or building would not be viable or would be rendered nonconforming with Title 20 or Title 17.

Permeable Pavement – Pervious concrete, porous asphalt, permeable pavers or other forms of pervious or porous paving material intended to allow passage of water through the pavement section. It often includes an aggregate base that provides structural support and acts as a stormwater reservoir.

Permit – Document issued under the authority of the Director that provides specific requirements and conditions for specific utility work at specific locations within the right of way and for purposes of this chapter includes a construction in the right of way permit under Chapter 11.90 VMC.

Permittee – Any person who has been granted, and has in full force and effect, a permit issued under this chapter.

Person – Any individual, partnership, co-partnership, firm, partnership, company, corporation, limited liability company, association, joint stock company or association, trust, estate, governmental entity, or any other legal entity, or their legal representatives, agents, or assigns, and including their lessors, trustees, and receivers.

Planting Strip – Area between the back of curb and the front of sidewalk, or the area in a raised median.

Private Street – A street not dedicated as public right of way.

RCW – Revised Code of Washington.

Recreational Trail – Public way constructed primarily for and open to pedestrians, equestrians, or bicyclists, or any combination thereof, other than a sidewalk constructed as a part of a City street.

Regional Industry – Industrial or commercial land use which provides significant community-wide or regional economic benefit through the creation of new economic growth and employment opportunity.

Regional Public Facility – Land use which is designed to serve the needs of the community or region that is affected by the impact(s) of the development. Regional public facilities include airports, colleges, hospitals, and regional parks or community centers.

Responsible Official – Director.

Restoration – All work necessary to replace, repair, or otherwise restore the right of way and all features contained within it to the same or equal condition as before any change or construction thereto.

Right of Way – Property, or property interest, held by the City or other governmental jurisdiction, outright or through easement, for existing or future public access, including and occupied (or intended to be occupied) by a street, alley, planting strip, curb, sidewalk, crosswalk, pedestrian or bike path, recreational trail, railroad, road, electric transmission line, oil or gas pipeline, water, sewer or storm facility, street trees, or other public infrastructure or special use, and including all the air above and land below that property; does not include real property held by the City for other uses.

For the purposes of this chapter, right of way means land or an easement acquired or dedicated for public roads and streets, but does not include:

1. State highways and other ways;

2. Land dedicated for roads, streets and highways not opened and not improved for motor vehicle use by the public;

3. Structures, including poles and conduits, located within the right of way;

4. Federally granted trust lands or forest board trust lands;

5. Lands owned or managed by the state Parks and Recreation Commission; or

6. Federally granted railroad rights of way acquired under 43 USC Section 912 and related provisions of federal law that are not open for motor vehicle use.

SEPA – State Environmental Policy Act.

Safety Manual – AASHTO Highway Safety Manual, available online at http://www.highwaysafetymanual.org.

Service Provider – This term has the meaning ascribed to it in Chapter 35.99 RCW, as may be amended.

Sidewalk – Any and all structures or forms of street improvement for pedestrian travel (except for a recreational trail) located in the space between the curb and the edge of the right of way, and specifically including the curb or edge of street and the edge of the right of way.

Sidewalk Café – Portion of a sidewalk on which tables and chairs are placed for the use of the patrons of an adjacent business on property abutting the right of way while they consume food and/or beverages.

Sidewalk Display – Goods or services advertised or displayed on a sidewalk for retail sale to the public by an adjacent business upon abutting property.

Sidewalk Vending Unit or Vending Unit – Movable stand or similar device that is operated from a fixed location on a public right of way from which food, beverages, flowers, plants, and/or merchandise are provided to the public with or without charge; does not include any newsrack regulated under Chapter 11.20.

Small Event – Any organized formation or assembly consisting of more than 20 and fewer than 100 persons which is to assemble or travel in unison, including, but not limited to, a block party, parade, procession, or assembly.

Stand – Any stand, table, bench, booth, rack, handcart, pushcart, trailer, or any other fixture or device, including trailers required to be licensed and registered by the Department of Motor Vehicles, that is used for the display, storage, or transportation of articles offered for sale.

Standard Specification or Specifications – Most current version of the Standard Specifications for Road, Bridge, and Municipal Construction (Standard Specifications) issued by WSDOT and the Washington chapter of the American Public Works Association.

Street Prism – Portion of the right of way between the back of ditch (at the elevation of the adjoining roadway shoulder) or the back of sidewalk and including the roadway ditches, traveled way, shoulders, and auxiliary lanes.

Stormwater – Runoff during and following precipitation and snowmelt events, including surface runoff and drainage. That portion of precipitation that does not naturally percolate into the ground or evaporate, but flows via overland flow, interflow, pipes and other features of a stormwater drainage system into a defined surface waterbody or a constructed infiltration facility.

Stormwater Facility – Facilities including, but not limited to: pipes, swales, ditches, open channels, culverts, street gutters, detention ponds, retention ponds, constructed wetlands, storage basins, infiltration devices, catch basins, manholes, dry wells, oil/water separators, biofiltration swales, sediment basins, bioretention, permeable pavements and vegetated roofs.

Stormwater Manual – Stormwater Management Manual for Western Washington which is the 5-volume technical manual prepared by the Washington Sate Department of Ecology Water Quality Program, December 2014, Publication No. 14-10-055 (a revision of Publication No. 12-10-030), 5 volumes, and as hereafter amended.

Stormwater Permit – The City of Vancouver's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Western Washington Phase II Municipal Stormwater Permit issued August 1, 2013, which was modified, effective January 16, 2014, by the Washington State Department of Ecology, and as hereafter amended or reissued.

Street – Private or public way designed primarily for vehicular traffic. A street includes the terms road, highway, avenue, boulevard, thoroughfare, or other traffic way, and usually includes improvements such as curbs, sidewalks, and street pavement within the right of way.

Street Standards – Drawings, plans, and specifications approved by the Director and the standard plans approved by WSDOT in Standard Specifications.

Street Tree – Tree in which the trunk is wholly or partially located within the right of way. A street tree may also be the portions of a private tree residing in the right of way.

Traffic Control Plan or TCP – A plan approved by the Director under this chapter that sets out the requirements, procedures, and standards that will be used to control traffic during any construction, maintenance, use, or other activity that alters the normal flow of vehicle, pedestrian, or bicycle traffic within any public right of way.

Traffic Engineer – Director of Public Works or the Director’s designee.

Traveled Way – Portion of the right of way that is designated or ordinarily used for the movement of through traffic, exclusive of sidewalks, shoulders, and auxiliary lanes and other areas between the edge of roadway and the edge of the right of way; generally, the traveled way is the area between the curbs dedicated to bicycle or vehicle travel lanes or on-street parking.

Trenched – Installation of a utility in an open excavation.

Untrenched – Installation of a utility without breaking the ground or pavement surface, such as by jacking or boring.

VMC – Vancouver Municipal Code.

Vendor – Any person who sells or offers to sell any goods, food, or beverages.

USDA – US Department of Agriculture.

Utility – Any person or private or municipal corporation, except the City, with or without a franchise, master use permit, or other authorization from the City, which from time to time may use the City rights of way for the construction or maintenance of waterworks, gas pipes, telephone, telegraph, cable television and electric light lines, sewers, stormwater facilities and any other such facilities, provided that nothing herein prohibits the City from requiring a franchise with a City utility.

WUTC – Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission

WSDOT – Washington State Department of Transportation.

WSDOT Construction Manual – Instructions for fulfilling the objectives, procedures, and methods of construction administration for state transportation projects; available online at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Publications/Manuals/M41-01.html.

WSDOT Design Manual – Policies, procedures, and methods for developing and documenting the design of improvements to the state’s transportation network; available online at www.wsdot.wa.gov/publications/manuals/m22-01.html.

WSDOT Hydraulics Manual – Detailed information on hydrologic and hydraulic analysis related to highway design; available online at http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/Publications/Manuals/M23-03.html.

STREET NAME ABBREVIATIONS

Avenue (AVE):

A street running north and south.

Boulevard (BLVD):

A primary arterial street.

Branch (BR):

A branch road.

Circle (CIR):

A cul-de-sac street running east or west.

Place (PL):

A non-extendable street running north and south between streets.

Common (CMN):

A minor street.

Court (CT):

A cul-de-sac street running north or south.

Drive (DR):

A diagonal, irregular street.

Freeway (FWY):

A grade-separated highway.

Highway (HWY):

A Washington state highway.

Lane (LN):

A meandering, irregular street.

Loop (LOOP):

A loop street.

Path (PATH):

A path.

Parkway (PKWY):

A primary arterial street.

Place (PL):

A minor street.

Point (PT):

A minor street.

Road (RD):

Not used, except for existing named roads.

Row (ROW):

A minor street.

Square (SQ):

A street with a square.

Street (ST):

A street running east and west.

Terrace (TER):

A roadway on a terrace.

Trail (TR):

A trail or minor street.

View (VW):

A minor street from which there is view.

Way (WAY):

A non-extendable street running east and west between streets.

(Ord. M-4179 §1, 2016; Ord. M-4026 §1, 2012)