§ 12-3. Definitions.

For the purposes of this title, certain words and terms are herewith defined. Words used in the present tense include the future, the singular includes the plural and the plural includes the singular, the word "shall" is mandatory and not directory.

Alley means a street providing a secondary means of access to a property abutting it.

Bond means a guarantee which secures installation of improvements in the event a subdivider defaults on required subdivision improvements. An acceptable bond shall include a surety bond from a company licensed to do business in the State of Mississippi, cashier's check, assignment of certificates of deposit or irrevocable letters of credit from a bank located in Southaven.

Building line means a line on a plat between which line and a street no building or structure may be erected.

Comprehensive plan means the comprehensive plan made and adopted by the governing authority indicating general locations recommended for the streets, parks, public buildings, land uses, zoning districts and other public improvements.

Easement means authorization by a property owner for the use by another, and for a specified purpose, of any designated part of his property.

(1)

Utility: An easement reserving space for utilities.

(2)

Access: For purpose of this title, a private way which is permanently reserved as the principal means of vehicular access to abutting property, and the terms of use of which are of public record.

Engineer means the city engineer.

Governing authority means the board of aldermen.

Lot means any parcel of land having ten (10) acres or less, any parcel of land, regardless of size, not bordering a public road, and any parcel of land, regardless of size, which is zoned commercial or industrial.

Lot of record means a lot recorded in the office of the chancery clerk in compliance with the laws of Desoto County at the time of its recording.

Planning commission means the city planning commission.

Plat means a map or drawing showing the lot and street arrangement or other features or details of the area being subdivided and is further defined as follows:

(1)

Sketch plat means a plat conforming to the requirements of chapter 2 hereof prior to filing a preliminary plat.

(2)

Preliminary plat means a plat conforming to the requirements of chapter 2 hereof for preliminary approval.

(3)

Final plat means a plat conforming to the requirements of chapter 2 for final approval and recording in the office of the chancery clerk.

Reverse frontage lots means lots which face on and are served by one (1) street and which back up to another street.

Right-of-way means the entire strip of land lying between property lines of a street or alley.

Street means a right-of-way for vehicular traffic which is accepted for the public use, and is maintained by the city, or state, whether designated as a street, highway, thoroughfare, arterial, road, avenue, boulevard, land, place, or however otherwise designated. Streets are further defined as follows:

(1)

Urban arterial street means a street having the primary functions of accommodating relatively large volumes of vehicular traffic and serving to connect areas of principal traffic generation and designated as an arterial in the Southaven Transportation Plan.

(2)

Collector street means a street having the primary function of collecting and distributing traffic between local streets or areas and the major street and highway network and designated as a collector street in the Southaven Transportation Plan.

(3)

Local street means a local street having a primary function of providing service and access to abutting land and not designated for high volumes of traffic but having sufficient width to serve occasional parking and traffic flow.

(4)

Cul-de-sac: A permanent dead-end street or court culminated by a turnaround and not intended to be extended in the future.

Subdivider means any person, individual, firm, partnership, association, corporation, trust, or any other group or combination acting as a unit who undertakes the subdivision of land as defined herein.

Subdivision means the division of a tract or parcel of land into two (2) or more parcels or lots, any of which has an area of ten (10) acres or less, or into tracts or parcels of any size where one (1) or more of the parcels or lots does not border on a public road or is zoned commercial or industrial. However, the division of land into lots or parcels of more than ten (10) acres each so that all parcels border on a public road and which are not zoned C or M does not require approval by the governing authority. The term "subdivision" is further defined as follows:

(1)

Major subdivision means:

a.

All subdivisions of land zoned A-R, residential, commercial or industrial.

b.

All subdivisions of land zoned agricultural containing four (4) or more lots created from the original parcel as it existed August 6, 1958.

c.

If construction of a new street is involved, any division of a parcel of land is considered a major subdivision.

(2)

Minor subdivision means a subdivision located on agriculturally zoned property not involving the creation of a street and where not more than three (3) lots have been created from the original parcel as it existed on August 6, 1958, and where all lots either:

a.

Have frontage on an existing public street sufficient for vehicular access; or

b.

Have frontage on a private street providing clearly legal and physically adequate access to a public street.

(Ord. No. 29, art. II, 4-5-83; Ord. of 12-8-95(2), § VI)