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Impact. The effect of an activity on designated critical areas, their buffers or sensitive resources.

Impact Fee. The fee levied as a condition of issuance of a building permit or development approval to support necessary public improvements affected by the development such as the transportation system, park acquisition and development, and schools.

Impact, Indirect. Impacts resulting from activities in the environs of a designated critical area, its buffer or a sensitive resource. Indirect impacts can result from construction activities nearby (e.g., producing sediment that enters a wetland or noise that disturbs a species listed under the Endangered Species Act). Other examples of indirect impacts include: changing the hydrology of an area such that it reduces water flow to a wetland or water body; introducing a barrier to wildlife movement through an area (such as a road or facility with bright night lighting); or reducing the size of a resource such that it can no longer perform the functions at its former level. The relationship of a designated critical area, buffer or sensitive resource to its surroundings must be considered in evaluating indirect impacts.

Impact, Permanent. Impacts that result in the permanent loss of a designated critical area, its buffer or a sensitive resource.

Impact, Temporal. The long-term effects of an activity or development where functions can be replaced eventually but cannot and do not achieve a similar functionality in a short period of time. For example, replacing the functions of song bird habitat in a tree canopy provided by a 50 year-old palustrine forested wetland, may take over 20 years to develop at the impact site.

Impact, Temporary. Short-term effects lasting for a limited time and where functions can be replaced in a relatively short period of time (about one year). For example, replacing the functions of habitat for small mammals or water quality for palustrine emergent (PEM) wetlands (those principally vegetated with grasses and forbs) may be done in one growing season if the disturbance is not severe.

Impervious Surface. A nonvegetated surface area that either prevents or retards the entry of water into the soil mantle as under natural conditions prior to development. A nonvegetated surface area which causes water to run off the surface in greater quantities or at an increased rate of flow from the flow present under natural conditions prior to development. Common impervious surfaces include, but are not limited to, structures, roof tops, walkways, patios, driveways, carports, parking lots or storage areas, concrete or asphalt paving, gravel roads, packed earthen materials, haul roads and soil surface areas compacted by construction operations, and oiled or macadam or other surfaces which similarly impede the natural infiltration of stormwater.

Improvement. Any permanent structure including building, paving, or infrastructure that becomes part of, placed upon, or is affixed to property.

Infill Development. Development that occurs on underutilized or challenged parcels.

Infill Development Plan. A plan that is required to be submitted with infill development which identifies the existing and proposed lot characteristics, including applicable standards and incentives.

Infill Land Division. The division of an infill parent parcel using some or all of the standards contained in the Infill Development Ordinance.

Infill Parcels. Parcels that meet the eligibility criteria of this chapter or those parcels created by the land division of an infill parent parcel through the application of the standards in the Infill Ordinance.

Infill Parent Parcel. Regarding Infill Development, the larger parcel of land from which infill parcels are divided.

Ingress. Access or entry.

Inordinate Light Source. Lighting source that is exceptionally bright or outside normal industry standards as found by the planning official.

Integrated Pest Management. A sustainable approach to managing pests by combining biological, cultural, physical, and chemical tools in a way that minimizes economic, health, and environmental risks.

Intermittent stream. Surface streams with no observable flow during 30 consecutive calendar days in a normal water year.

Junkyard/Salvage Yard. A place where waste, discarded, or salvaged materials are bought, sold, exchanged, baled, packed, disassembled, or handled, including auto wrecking yards, house wrecking yards, used lumber yards, and places where such uses are conducted entirely within a completely enclosed building, but not including pawn shops or establishments for the sale, purchase, or storage of used furniture and household equipment, used cars in operable condition, or salvaged materials incidental to manufacturing operations.

Kennel. Shall mean any premises on which four or more dogs older than 5 months are kept, excluding veterinary clinics, animal hospitals, and dog daycare facilities.

Kitchen. Any room or rooms, or portion thereof, used or intended to be used for cooking or the preparation of food.

Land-disturbing activity. Regarding erosion control regulations, any activity that results in a change in the existing soil cover (both vegetative and nonvegetative) or existing soil topography. Land-disturbing activities include, but are not limited to, demolition, reconstruction, construction, clearing, grading, filling, and excavation.

Land Form Alteration. Any man-made change to improved or unimproved property including, but not limited to, the addition of buildings or other structures; mining; quarrying; dredging; filling; grading; earthwork construction; stockpiling of rock, sand, dirt or gravel or other earth material; paving; excavation or drilling operations located within the area of special flood hazard.

Landscaping. To beautify or improve a section of ground by contouring the land and planting flowers, shrubs or trees. Landscaping may also include nonvegetative improvements such as courtyards, fountains, pedestrian walkways, plazas, and medians.

Lattice Tower. A wireless communications support structure, which consists of a network of vertical and horizontal supports and crossed metal braces, forming a tower that is usually triangular or square in cross-section.

Ldn. Annual Average Day/Night Sound Level. The "Ldn, Day/Night Sound Level," in decibels, is the 24-hour logarithmic average sound level, from midnight to midnight, obtained after adding 10 decibels to sound levels in the night from midnight to 7:00 a.m., and from 10:00 p.m. to midnight (0000 to 0700, and 2200 to 2400 hours), and then logarithmically averaged day-to-day over a 12-month period.

Legal Owner. The owner of record, as shown by the records of Clark County.

Livestock. Any horse, beef or dairy cattle, sheep, goat, llama, alpaca, mule, jack, jenney, burro, domesticated hare, rabbit, emu, ostrich, poultry or similar animal.

Load Space or Loading Area. An off-street space or berth on the same lot or parcel with a building or use, or contiguous to a group of buildings or uses, for the temporary parking of a vehicle which is loading or unloading, merchandise or materials.

Local Public Facility. A land use designed to serve the needs of the local neighborhood or community affected by the impact(s) of development. Local Public Facilities include, but are not limited to: elementary, middle, and high schools; fire stations; police stations; parks; and transit facilities. Local Public Facilities shall not include land use(s) of regional or community-wide significance, such as airports, colleges, hospitals, regional parks or community centers.

Logo. A group of letters, typically stylized, or symbols that represent a word, group of words or business name.

Lot Area. The computed area contained within the lot lines; said area to be exclusive of street or alley rights-of-way or access easements, Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) easements, water detention/retention ponds, wetlands and wetland buffers which are delineated and recorded on plats and short plats.

Lot, Corner. A lot abutting upon two or more streets at their intersection, or upon two parts of the same street; such street or parts of the same street forming an interior angle of less than 135° within the lot lines.

Lot Coverage. That percentage of the total lot area covered by structures, including all projections except eaves, balconies, bay windows, or uncovered deck 42 inches or less above grade.

Lot Depth. The average distance measured from the front lot line to the rear lot line. In the case of a corner lot, the depth shall be the length of its longest side lot line.

Lot, Estate. A lot in a subdivision that contains a house and outbuildings constructed prior to the subdivision. The estate lot cannot be larger than one acre in area, and is exempt from the minimum density requirements of any residential district.

Lot, Flag. A lot generally in the shape of a flag where access is typically by a narrow, private right-of-way or driveway.

Lot, Interior. A lot or parcels of land other than a corner lot.

Lot, Legal. A parcel of land used or which is capable of being used under the regulations of this title, lawfully created as such in accordance with the subdivision laws or ordinances in effect at the time of its creation.

Lot Line. Any line bounding a lot as herein defined.

Lot Line, Front. The property line abutting a street or the edge of a private street, or primary access. For corner lots the front line is that with the narrowest frontage. When the lot line abutting a street is curved, the front lot line is the chord or straight line connecting the ends of the curve. For a flag lot, the front lot line is the shortest lot line adjoining the pole portion of the lot, excluding the unbuildable portion of the pole.

Lot Line, Rear. A lot line not abutting a street that is opposite and most distant from the front lot line.

Lot Line, Side. Any lot line that is not a front or a rear lot line.

Lot of Record. A lot shown on the records of the County Auditor at the time of the passage of an ordinance or regulation establishing the zoning district in which the lot is located.

Lot Size, Minimum. The area determined to be the minimum average lot size for each underlying zoning district prior to application of any lot size reduction allowed.

Lot, Through. Lot having front and rear frontage on two streets and/or highways. Lots with rear alley frontage shall not be considered through lots.

Lot Width. The horizontal distance between the side lot lines measured within the lot boundaries or the average horizontal distance measured halfway between the front and rear setback lines.

Low Impact Development (LID). Low impact development is a stormwater and land 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 planning, and distributed stormwater management practices that are integrated into a project design.

Low Impact Development Best Management Practices (BMPs). Low impact development best management practices are 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, vegetated roofs, minimum excavation foundations, and water re-use.

Low Impact Development Principles. Low impact development principles are land management strategies that emphasize conservation, use of onsite natural features, and site planning to minimize impervious surfaces, native vegetation loss, and stormwater runoff.

Lowest Floor. The lowest floor of the lowest enclosed area (including basement). An unfinished or flood resistant enclosed area below the base flood elevation, 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 VMC 20.740.120(J)(8)(c), (J)(10)(d), or (J)(11)(e).

Low-Income Housing. Housing for which the monthly housing expense is no greater than thirty percent of eighty percent of the median family income adjusted for family size for Clark County, Washington, as reported by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development. For multi-family housing, this definition shall apply only to the number of units within such housing development as are required to comply with this limitation on monthly housing expense.

Low-Intensity Land Use. Land uses which are associated with low levels of human activity or low habitat impacts, including Open Space Greenway: Lettuce Fields and Vancouver Lake Lowlands and Open Space Natural zoning districts.

Low Noise Impact. Interior noise levels of Ldn 45 or less, considered for the purposes of Chapter 20.520 VMC, Noise Impact Overlay District, as acceptable for residential purposes. (Ord. M-4179 § 63, 2016; Ord. M-4154 § 2, 2016; Ord. M-4034 § 2, 2012)