Town of Sebago, Maine - Site Plan Regulations

Except where specifically defined herein, all words used in this Ordinance shall carry their customary meanings. Words used in the present tense include the future, and the plural includes the singular; the “lot” includes the word “plot”; and the word “building” includes the word “structure”; “shall” is always mandatory; “occupied” or “used” shall be considered as though followed by the words “or intended, arranged, or designed to be used or occupied”.

Accessory Use: A use customarily incidental and subordinate to the principal building or use and located on the same lot with such principal building or use.

Accessory Building: A subordinate building or a portion of the main building, the use of which is incidental to that of the main or principal building.

Apartment: A building arranged, intended or designed to be occupied by three or more families living independently of each other.

Billboard: A structure, either free standing or attached to a building, the surface of which is available for hire for advertising purposes.

Building: Any structure having a roof supported by columns or walls and intended for the shelter, housing, or enclosure of persons, animals or chattels. Each portion of a building, separated from other portions by a fire wall, shall be considered as a separate building.

Dwelling: A building designed or used as the living quarters for one or more families. The term shall not be deemed to include hotel, motel, rooming house, or trailer.

Dwelling Unit: A building or portion thereof providing complete housekeeping facilities for one family. The term shall not be deemed to include trailer.

Family: One or more persons occupying a premise and living as a single housekeeping unit as distinguished from a group occupying a boarding house, lodging house or hotel as herein defined.

Height of Building: The vertical measurement from grade to the highest point of the roof beams in flat roofs; to the highest point on the deck of mansard roofs; to a level midway between the level of the eaves and highest point of pitched roofs or hip roofs; or to a level two thirds of the distance from the level of the eaves to the highest point of gambrel roofs. For this purpose, the level of the eaves shall be taken to mean the highest level where the plane of roof intersects the plane of the outside wall on a side containing the eaves.

Home Occupation: An occupation or profession which is: customarily carried on in a dwelling unit or in a building or other structure accessory to a dwelling unit; carried on by a member of the family residing in the dwelling unit and is clearly incidental and secondary to the use of the dwelling unit for residential purposes.

Lot: A parcel of land in single ownership occupied or capable of being occupied by one building and the accessory building or uses customarily incidental to it, including such open spaces as are required by this Ordinance, and having frontage upon an approved street.

Mobile Home: Mobile home shall mean a dwelling with a habitable floor area of at least 750 square feet and so constructed as to permit its being towed on a public street or highway.

Mobile Home Park: Mobile home park shall mean a plot of land of at least 25 acres laid out to accommodate two or more mobile homes and which for the purpose of this Ordinance shall be regarded as a subdivision and subject to all applicable State and local codes and ordinances. Not more than 4 mobile homes per net residential acre shall be permitted in any mobile home park.

Motel: A building or group of detached or connected buildings designed or intended or used primarily for the providing of sleeping accommodations for automobile travelers and having a parking space adjacent to a sleeping room. An automobile court or tourist court with more than one unit or a motor lodge shall be deemed to be a motel.

Net Residential Acreage: The gross available acreage less the area required for streets or access and less the areas of any portions of the site which are unsuitable for development because of topography, natural drainage or subsoil conditions.

Net Residential Density: Net residential density shall mean the number of dwelling units per net residential acre.

Non Conforming Use: A building, structure or use of land existing at the time of adoption of this Ordinance, and which does not conform to the regulations of the district or zone in which it is situated.

Parking Space: Parking space shall mean an area of not less than 200 square feet, exclusive of drives or aisles giving access thereto, accessible from streets or aisles leading to streets and usable for the storage or parking of passenger vehicles. Parking space or access thereto shall be construed as to be usable year round.

Sign: Any structure or part thereof attached thereto or painted or represented thereon, which shall display or include any letter, work, model, banner, flag, pennant, insignia, device or representation used as, or which is in the nature of an announcement, direction or advertisement. The work “sign” does not include the flag, pennant or insignia of any nation, state, city or other political unit, or any political, educational charitable, philanthropic, civic, professional, religious campaigns, drive, movement or event.

Special Exception: A special exception is a use that would not be appropriate generally or without restriction throughout the zoning district but which, if controlled as to number, area, location, or relation to the neighborhood, would promote the public health, safety, welfare, morals, order, comfort, convenience, appearance, prosperity or general welfare. Such uses may be permitted in such zoning districts as special exceptions, if specific provision for such special exception is made in this Zoning Ordinance

Street: A public way maintained by the Town of Sebago, or a private way not less than fifty feet in width, and constructed according to the minimum standards as detailed in the municipal

subdivision regulations which afford the principal means of access to abutting properties and the existence of which is of record in the Cumberland County Registry of Deeds.

Trailer: Trailer shall mean any vehicle used or so constructed as to permit its being used as a conveyance on the public streets and highways and duly licensed as such, and constructed in such a manner as will permit occupancy thereof as a temporary dwelling for one or more persons, and which cannot readily be connected to a common sewer and water service. This definition shall apply whether the trailer is placed on a foundation or not.

Variance: A variance is a relaxation of the terms of this Ordinance where such variance will not be contrary to the public interest and where, owing to conditions peculiar to the property and not the result of the actions of the applicant, a literal enforcement of the Ordinance will result in unnecessary or undue hardship.

As used in this Ordinance, a variance is authorized only for height, area, and size of structure or size of yards an open spaces. Establishment or expansion of a use otherwise prohibited shall not be allowed by variance, nor shall a variance be granted because of the presence of non-conformities in the particular zone or adjoining zone.