- a)Access: Roadway onto which a lot or property fronts.
- b)Hostel (Albergue): A type of establishment with comfortable rustic characteristics, which provides lodging especially to athletes or groups united by a common interest or activity. There are various modalities, among them, mountain shelters, fishing hostels or camps, beach hostels, rural or youth hostels, whose characteristics and additional services vary according to their specialization, and based on them, the most appropriate denomination will be given.
- c)Maximum Height: Established from the ground to the ridge point of the building.
Street Furniture (Amueblado): Set of urban elements, such as benches, trash cans, tables, posts, shelters, signs, and placards that serve as support for services for user comfort.
- d)Aparthotel (Apartotel) (Apartments-hotel): A type of establishment that provides lodging service for a daily or monthly rate, and has the following characteristics:
1. May consist of apartment-type units with one or more bedrooms, private bathroom, dining room, and kitchen.
2. Occupies the entirety of a building or a completely independent part thereof, and its dependencies constitute a homogeneous whole, with entrances for the exclusive use of the establishment.
3. Includes housekeeping service in the rate.
4. Has parking for guests' vehicles.
5. In its design, respects norms that guarantee an appropriate relationship with the sustaining natural environment.
- f)Green Area (Área verde): Open, grassy or wooded areas, for public or communal use, intended for recreation and ornamentation.
- g)Boat Hotel (Botel): A hotel establishment that is located in a floating installation or on a passenger vessel that is immobilized permanently or temporarily to fulfill these functions.
- h)Bungalow: An establishment that provides lodging service for a daily or monthly rate, with independent units that constitute independent living quarters, with one or more bedrooms and a private bathroom. They depend on a main entrance, reception, and may provide restaurant, bar, souvenir shop services, etc.
- i)Cabin (Cabina): See "Vacation Dwelling (Vivienda Turística)." j) Campgrounds (Campamentos): A type of establishment that provides rental service for a daily or monthly rate, of properly delimited and conditioned grounds to facilitate outdoor life, where overnight stays occur under a tent, in a travel trailer, or similar.
- k)Guesthouse (Casa de huéspedes): A type of establishment similar to a boarding house (pensión) that does not offer meal service.
- l)Use Certification (Certificación de uso): Document that establishes the possibility of designating a portion of land for the construction of the works covered in these Regulations. Said certificate will be issued by the Municipality at the request of the interested party.
- m)Concession (Concesión): Public contract between the Municipality and the concessionaire, which grants the latter the right to use the land on a lot within the Zona Marítimo Terrestre, specifically in the restricted zone (150 meters). It does not include the Zona Pública (50 meters in front of the coastal sector).
- n)Concessionaire (Concesionario): Legal entity, natural or juridical person, that holds a concession right in the Zona Marítimo Terrestre.
- o)Condohotel (Condohotel): A lodging operation modality in which the property is subject to the Condominium Law (Ley de Propiedad Horizontal), No. 3670 of March 22, 1996, or applies principles contained therein, and in which the hotel operation is guaranteed through a management contract with a hotel operating company that assumes the functions corresponding to administrators according to the law and those derived from the hotel nature of the operation. Seventy percent of the time per year, the establishment must be dedicated at least to lodging service, and the remaining thirty percent may be used by the co-owners.
- p)Conservation (Conservación): In urban planning, the action that, according to what is foreseen in Urban Development Plans, is oriented towards maintaining the ecological balance, the good condition of material works (buildings, monuments, squares, and parks), and in general, everything that constitutes the historical, cultural, and social heritage of population centers.
- q)Construction (Construcción): Any structure that is fixed or incorporated into a piece of land; includes any building, reconstruction, remodeling, or expansion work that implies permanence.
- r)Net Density (Densidad neta): The ratio of inhabitants divided by the total surface area of occupied land, after previously deducting roadway surfaces.
- s)Density (Densidad): Consists of the number of temporary or permanent residents per unit of area (in this case, the estimated unit of area is the hectare).
- t)Right-of-Way (Derecho de vía): The measure of the zone of public use, taken between the demarcation lines established by the MOPT, the corresponding Municipality, or a regulatory plan.
- u)Buildings (Edificaciones): All those works intended for habitation, work, recreation, tourism, etc.
- v)Hotel (Hotel): A type of establishment with a minimum of twenty rooms, or more according to its corresponding category, which provides lodging service for a daily rate, as well as food service, at the client's choice. There must be functional integrality between the lodging service and complementary services. It must occupy the entirety of a building or an absolutely independent part thereof, with dependencies that constitute a homogeneous whole, with entrances, corridors, stairs, and elevators for the exclusive use of the establishment. Its sustainable character indicates an appropriate relationship with its surroundings and conservationist solutions for waste disposal, sewage, etc.
- w)Residential Hotel (Hotel residencia): A hotel that does not offer meal service.
- x)Offender (Infractor): Natural person, legal entity, or any Government agency that fails to comply with these Zoning Regulations.
- y)Infrastructure (Infraestructura): Urban services and facilities, such as: roadways, drainage, aqueducts, sewerage, electricity, telephony, and other similar utilities.
- z)Lot (Lote): A parcel of land of any size, whether granted in concession or under private property.
aa) Motel (Motel turístico): A type of hotel establishment that provides lodging service for a daily rate and has the following characteristics:
1. Offers travelers parking for their vehicles within the same establishment.
2. Is preferably located outside urban centers and in the vicinity of public highways.
3. Has a minimum of five rooms, all with a private bathroom and independent entrance from the exterior.
4. The building does not exceed two stories, and it is indicated on the exterior of the rooms using luminous signs that allow easy reading from the highway, both day and night, whether there are vacancies or not.
bb) Number of Stories (Número de plantas): It must be understood as total stories or total or partial floor area coverage (a mezzanine counts as one story or floor).
- cc)Occupancy (Ocupación): Consists of the percentage of land that can be covered by constructed areas, habitable or not, such as accesses, parking lots, swimming pools, and other non-natural coverings; internal green areas (áreas verdes) are considered residual areas not included in the occupancy percentage; they must be used for gardens, lakes, fruit trees, ornamentals, etc.
dd) Boarding House (Pensión): A type of small establishment that is normally family-run, with a minimum capacity of three rooms, and that offers meal service on a full-board or half-board plan, at a single all-inclusive rate.
ee) Construction Permits, Permits, and Approvals (Permisos de construcción, permisos y visados): The Municipality of Osa will not grant permits for construction, expansion, or remodeling of buildings or developments that contravene the zoning or any of the provisions of these regulations. All construction must have its respective plans approved by the Centralizing Office for Construction Permits, the ICT, the INVU, and the respective Municipality. Concurrently, the payment of corresponding taxes must be made. Likewise, business licenses or use permits will not be granted for any property where the requested use does not align with the zoning or the regulations. The granting of business licenses must have prior approval from the ICT, and these must be granted to current concessionaires who have been granted tourism-recreational-commercial projects and others that warrant said license. The above applies to private properties adjacent to the Zona Marítimo Terrestre strip that are declared of tourism interest.
ff) Owner (Propietario): The person(s), company(ies), or agency(ies) that holds title to lands adjacent to the Zona Marítimo Terrestre.
gg) Protection (Protección): That area in which urban works are subject to restrictions.
hh) Forest Regime (Régimen forestal): Set of provisions of a legal, economic, and technical nature, established by the Ley Forestal and its regulations, decrees, and resolutions derived from its application, which regulate the conservation, protection, and rational use of forests and forest lands.
- ii)Tourist Residence (Residencia Turística): See "Vacation Dwelling (Vivienda Turística)." jj) Setbacks (Retiros): Unbuilt open spaces comprised between a structure and the boundaries of the respective property.
kk) Timeshare (Tiempo compartido): System or regime through which a person acquires a right of use, enjoyment, or any other right related to the utilization of a vacation housing unit, for determined or determinable periods within each year during the term of the respective contract, through the payment of a determined price.
- ll)Sustainable Tourism (Turístico sustentable): Land use characterized by maintaining an appropriate human-environment-sustainability relationship, both in natural history, adventure, or similar activities, and in the relationship between buildings and the sustaining environment.
mm) Development (Urbanization) (Urbanización): Provision to a piece of land of the infrastructure works required for the realization of buildings.
nn) Conditional Use (Uso condicional): That use which, while not being the most recommendable for the terrain conditions, does not generate conflict with permitted uses. This use may be given to a tract of land, upon special authorization from the Municipality and the Instituto Costarricense de Turismo, through a certificate.
oo) Conflicting Use (Uso conflictivo): That which does not conform to the zoning indicated in the regulatory plan. Conflicting uses are not permitted under any condition.
pp) Existing Conflicting Uses or Buildings (Usos o edificaciones conflictivas existentes): Any conflicting use or building existing as of the effective date of these regulations may continue with the following limitations:
1. It may not be expanded or remodeled, and only improvements may be made to maintain aesthetics, hygiene, and safety, subject to prior authorization from the Municipal Council.
2. It may not be changed to another conflicting use, unless the latter is more compatible with the use proposed in this land-use regulatory plan, in the judgment of the Municipal Council of Osa and the ICT.
3. Existing conflicting lands or buildings are momentarily subject to expropriation and payment for improvements in accordance with what is indicated in Law No. 6043 and its regulations, provided that they were built or occupied in accordance with the laws in force before the enactment of Law No. 6043 and with the respective permits.
qq) Permitted Use (Uso permitido): That use of the property or lot over which the concessionaire has the possibility of designating their land without any restrictions other than those indicated herein, and upon prior processing of the construction permits required by the Municipality.
rr) Use (Uso): Utilization, on a private basis, of areas or properties.
ss) Public Road (Vía pública): Spaces designated for the circulation of vehicles or pedestrians.
tt) Vacation Dwelling (Vivienda turística) (cabin (cabina), cottage (cabaña), summer house (casa de veraneo), etc.): A type of establishment that provides lodging service for a daily or monthly rate, with units that are independent, with one or more bedrooms, a private bathroom, kitchen, independent entrance from the exterior, and parking for guests' vehicles.
uu) Single-Family Dwelling (Vivienda unifamiliar): A building provided with habitable areas intended for the housing of a single family.
- vv)Zoning (Zonificación): The division of a territory into use zones, for the purposes of its rational development.