§ 3.1. Generally.

All words herein used in the present tense shall include the future, the singular shall include the plural, and the plural the singular. The word "shall" is mandatory. Unless otherwise provided, the following words and phrases are defined as follows:

Alley. Any public or private way set aside or dedicated for public travel, which is 20 feet or less in width.

Building. Anything constructed or erected with a fixed or permanent location on the ground.

Building, accessory. A building that is incidental in use and in area to that of a principal building on the same lot. Uniformity of use, function and physical connection shall be factors in determining the permitted number, size and height of accessory structures. Accessory structure is only permitted in conjunction with a principal use.

Building permit. Means written permission issued by the Town of St. Leo for the erection, construction, enlargement, repair, alteration or addition to a structure or other property improvements, including but not limited to signs, parking lots and fences/walls, and including site preparation such as grading and construction of infrastructure.

Cluster housing. A condominium, townhouse, apartment or any other unit of multiple-family housing.

Community residential home. A dwelling unit licensed to serve clients of the Florida Department of Children and Families, which provides a living environment for unrelated residents who operate as the functional equivalent of a family, including such supervision and care by supportive staff as may be necessary to meet the physical, emotional, and social needs of the residents.

Comprehensive plan. Town of St. Leo Comprehensive Plan 2025, Town of St. Leo, Florida or as may be amended from time to time.

Density. The number of dwelling units per acre of land, whether the dwelling unit is a single-family residence or one dwelling unit located in a duplex or cluster housing.

Design compatibility. Means sensitivity of a building design to the existing character of a neighborhood, surrounding blocks, or historic or special area. This is measured by how the design of a building or project relates to the design elements of the surrounding natural/physical and manmade environment. Compatibility measures include, but are not limited to the following: building relationship to the street (such as height, facade details, landscaping, activities), the rhythm of spacing between buildings, the use of building materials which match in dimension, color, pattern and finish/texture, and building scale and mass.

Development or development activity . The addition to, or improvement of, property, including but not limited to the following activities:

(1)

Construction, clearing, filling, excavating, grading or paving or otherwise significantly disturbing the soil of the site.

(2)

Building or installing a new building/structure, walls/fences, sign or parking areas.

(3)

Enlarging, replacing or substantially restoring a building/structure, sign or parking areas.

(4)

Subdividing land into two or more parcels.

Dock or boathouse. A fixed or floating structure, including but not limited to moorings, piers, wharves. standalone pilinqs, platforms, walkways, roofed structures and boat lifting equipment over or alongside, which may be used for, but not limited to, the purpose of berthing buoyant vessels, fishing, or swimming. A dock may include a boat slip, which is defined as a boat berthing space located totally within and interior to the dock.

Dwelling. A building designed or used primarily for living quarters for one (1) or more families.

Dwelling unit, single-family. A building designed or portion thereof providing complete living facilities for one family.

Dwelling unit, multiple-family. A residence designed for or occupied by two or more families (on the basis of monthly, or longer occupancies, or ownership of individual units) with separate cooking, bathroom and sleeping facilities for each unit.

Family. One or more persons occupying a premises and living as a single nonprofit housekeeping unit.

Floor area ratio (FAR). A nonresidential land-use intensity measure analogous to density. It compares the floor area of a building with the total area of the site in the form of a ratio. Floor area is the sum of all floor areas of a building or structure, not just the ground floor area.

Height of building/structure. A vertical distance from the finished grade at the base of the building/structure to the highest point of the building/structure or roof peak or as may be defined in other sections of this chapter. For buildings/structures on sloped property (ten percent slope or greater), the horizontal midpoint of the building/structure shall be used to measure height.

Hillside. A hill (an elevated landform with a rounded top) with an elevation of 20 feet or higher from the base to the hilltop with a slope of 15 percent or greater.

Hillside brow. Means that portion of the hill that is the separator between the hilltop that is level or gently sloping and the hillside that is steeply sloped.

Impervious surface. An area that has been compacted or covered with a layer of material so that it is highly resistant to infiltration by water. This includes, but is not limited to, areas paved with concrete, asphalt or similar materials.

Impervious surface ratio (ISR). The gross area of all impervious surfaces on a lot divided by the lot area.

Lot. A piece, parcel or plot of land occupied or to be occupied by one principal building or use and its accessory buildings and embracing the open spaces required under these ordinances.

Lot, corner. A lot abutting upon two or more streets at their intersection.

Lot coverage. The number determined by dividing that area of a lot, which is occupied or covered by the total horizontal projected surface of all buildings, including covered porches and accessory buildings, by the lot area.

Lot, depth. The horizontal distance between the front and rear lot lines.

Lot, interior. A lot other than a corner lot, and abutting one street. Alleys shall not be considered as streets.

Lot, line : Any lot line separating a lot from a street right-of-way or general access easement. Where a lot line is located within such street right-of-way or easement, the right-of-way or easement boundary adjacent to the lot shall be considered the street lot line.

Lot of record. A lot which is part of a subdivision, the map of which has been recorded in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk of Pasco County or a parcel of land, the deed of which was recorded in the office of the Circuit Court Clerk of Pasco County prior to December 12, 2005.

Lot, through. A lot other than a corner lot and with frontage on more than one street.

Lot width. The horizontal distance measured along a straight line connecting the points where the rear of the required yard line meets the interior lot lines or, if on a corner, the other rear of the required front yard.

Mobile home. Any dwelling unit or structure that is factory built or that in whole or major component may be towed or transported along a public way whether or not the same is situated in a mobile home park or otherwise.

Mobile home park. A parcel of land developed or intended to be developed for placement of two or more mobile homes or factory built units.

Nonconforming use. An established use of building or land lawful prior to the adoption of this Land Development Code that does not conform to and with the permitted use provisions of the Land Development Code for the district in which it is located.

Open space. Public or private land or water area that is essentially unimproved. Open space may be used for outdoor passive recreation or outdoor active recreation activities. Outdoor gathering places that incorporate landscaped areas and pedestrian amenities such as plazas, terraces, walkways and fountains may qualify as open space. Typically, open space will be unimproved and/or landscaped areas that consist of pervious surfaces. Open space areas used for recreational uses and outdoor gathering places may have up to ten percent of the total open space in impervious surfaces. Storm water ponds shall be considered as open space.

Religious facility. A structure in which persons regularly assemble for religious worship and which is maintained and controlled by a religious body organized to sustain public worship. A place of religious assembly shall also include structures for related religious activities on the same site such as educational buildings, administrative buildings and sleeping quarters for personnel (parsonage, convent, monastery, etc.). As part of this definition, uses such as daycare, elementary or secondary schools, colleges/universities, assisted living facilities, professional residential facilities, and emergency shelters are not included as "related religious activities" without proper approval for such use.

Satellite dish. Any device designed to receive radio or television signals from a communication satellite, the highest point of which when installed, exceeds three feet above ground level.

Street. Any public way dedicated to public travel that is or will be 40 feet or more in width. This definition of the word "street" shall also cover the words "road," "highway" and "thoroughfare."

Street line. A line dividing a lot from a street easement or right-of-way.

Structure. Any structure or building constructed or used for residence, business, industry, storage or other public or private purposes, or accessory thereto, including tents, lunch wagons, trailers, mobile homes, signs, fences and similar structures whether stationary or movable.

Transient unit. Any single or multi-family dwelling unit, room or rooms, or other living quarters designed to be occupied by one or more persons and rented for less than 180 days. Transient units include hotels, motels and resorts, and single or multi-family units rented for less than 180 days.

Unit. Shall mean a mobile home, factory built housing, the land areas assigned thereto, access thereto, and parking area for one vehicle (parking area for one vehicle shall mean an area of land equal to 300 square feet located off-street).

Use, accessory. A use that is incidental and subordinate to the principal use on the same lot.

Use, principal. The use, purpose or activity for which a building, structure or land is or is proposed to be occupied or maintained that is permissible within the zoning district.

Yard. An open space on the same lot with a principal building, open unoccupied and unobstructed by buildings, from the ground to the sky and measured from the foundation line to the nearest front, side or rear property line, except as specified by Section 5.7.

Yard, front. The yard extending across the entire width of the lot between the front lot line and the nearest portion of the principal building.

Yard, rear. The yard extending across the entire width of the lot between the rear lot line and the nearest part of the principal building.

Yard, side. The yard extending along the side lot line from the front yard to the rear yard and lying between the side lot line and the nearest portion of the principal building.

(Ord. No. 11-01, § 2, 1-10-2011; Ord. No. 12-01, § 2, 12-12-2011; Ord. No. 13-03, § 3, 2-11-2013)