No person, firm or corporation proposing to open, rearrange
or expand a mobile home park in the Township shall proceed with any
construction work on the proposed park until he/she it has obtained
from the Township written approval of the preliminary plan of the
proposed development, according to procedures herein outlined.
A.
Preapplication procedure. The mobile home park developer should meet
with the Township, prior to formal application, to discuss his/her
plans and should prepare a suitable sketch and plans sufficient to
give a general understanding of his/her purposes. The Township shall
inform the developer as to the general suitability of the plans and
of any modifications required by these regulations, if deemed advisable.
B.
Application. The applicant shall then prepare and submit a complete
preliminary plan, together with improvement plans and other supplementary
material, as required.
A.
Upon completion of any modifications required by the Township and/or
upon completion of required improvements or the alternate posting
of acceptable surety, the developer may apply for approval of the
final plan. Until the final plan for the mobile home park is approved
and recorded and until all required improvements are completed for
the mobile home park, the placement and habitation of individual mobile
homes shall not be permitted [see Section 509(m) of the MPC].
B.
The Board of Supervisors shall review the final plan for conformance with the approved preliminary plans and all requirements of these rules and regulations. Where required, an appropriate bond must be posted or required improvements must have been installed, according to specifications (see Articles VI and X of this chapter).
C.
Filing. Following approval, the Township shall file one copy of the
approved plan with the Beaver County Recorder of Deeds within 90 days.
Any fees for recordation shall be borne by the applicant.
A.
Minimum area of tract or park. The minimum area of the tract or park
shall be 10 acres. The site shall be so located that soil conditions,
groundwater level, drainage, and topography shall not create hazards
to the property, health, or safety of the occupants or adjacent property
owners. The overall density of the mobile home park shall not exceed
two units per acre of land.
B.
Individual lots.
(1)
The planning and location of individual lots shall be guided by the
following requirements:
(a)
Access. Each lot shall be directly accessible from an approved
internal street or public road without the necessity of crossing any
other space.
(b)
Lot suitability. No individual lot shall be developed for occupancy
by a mobile home if the slope is 8% or more.
(c)
Size. This lot size assumes a placement with the narrow side
of the unit facing the street. Each mobile home lot shall have a minimum
lot width of 70 feet, depth of at least 150 feet, and a minimum of
20,000 square feet in area. The developer can opt to place units with
the wide side of the home facing the internal street.
(d)
Yard requirements.
[1]
There shall be two side yards; the minimum side yard shall be
10 feet and the second side yard 15 feet. Yards shall be oriented
so the fifteen-foot side yard shall be on the side of the dwelling
unit where the patio or deck is located. This assumes the main entrance
on a side yard. Where the wide side of the home faces the road, two
ten-foot yards will be required.
[a]
The setback from the internal street cartway shall
be at least 30 feet. Parking for two vehicles may be allowed in the
front yard area; however, at least 10 feet shall be reserved for lawn
or landscaping between the parking area and the dwelling unit.
[b]
The rear yard shall be at least 30 feet in depth.
Any utility or storage building is to be located in the rear yard
at least 10 feet from any mobile home lot line and 10 feet from the
dwelling unit. If the developer orients the units so the wide side
faces the internal street, the required isolation distances must be
observed.
[2]
There shall be a minimum of 25 feet between individual mobile
homes, and attached structures, and at least 10 feet to an accessory
structure on the same lot, and at least 20 feet to an accessory structure
on another lot.
[3]
The setback from the right-of-way of any public street or highway
shall be consistent with the Zoning Ordinance district.
[4]
There shall be at least 40 feet between any mobile home, appurtenance
building, office or similar structure and any mobile home park boundary
line.
(e)
Skirting. The plans shall specify-that skirting shall be provided
on all mobile homes. Skirting shall be so designed as to allow for
adequate ventilation under the mobile homes.
(f)
Orientation. The developer is encouraged to enhance the design
of the park and can vary unit orientation as long as lot size and
setbacks as set forth in this chapter are followed. The Township may
consider lot averaging when reviewing alternative designs.
(g)
Landscaping. The park entrance shall be landscaped with a sign
giving the name of the facility in a setting of shrubs and trees.
(2)
All internal streets shall be planted with street trees of at least
1 1/2 inches caliper planted at fifty-foot intervals. Street
trees will be located on all sides of the street where mobile home
units are located. The developer shall provide a planting schedule
with the Township which must be approved by the Township Engineer.
A thirty-foot-wide landscape buffer shall be provided along the perimeter
of the site. The landscape buffer shall consist of a mixture of both
evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs. The buffer shall provide
a visual barrier and be composed of plants suitable to that purpose
and of species suitable for this area. The buffer strip planting plan
must be approved by the Township Engineer.
C.
Mobile home stands.
(1)
The location of each mobile home stand shall be at such elevation,
distance and angle in relation to the access street so that the placement
and removal of the mobile home is practical.
(2)
The stand where the unit is placed shall be at least 14 feet by 65
feet to accommodate modern units.
(3)
A one-percent to five-percent gradient longitudinal crown or cross
gradient for surface drainage shall be provided. Water shall be directed
away from the mobile home stand. In no event shall the stand be designed
to allow the pooling of water under mobile homes.
(4)
All mobile homes shall be set on a foundation, as required by the
Township's Building Code, the Pennsylvania UCC.
(5)
There shall be a concrete patio area provided for each stand, not
less than 10 feet wide and 20 feet long, located convenient to the
main entry door to the mobile home. The patio will be on the side
of the lot with the fifteen-foot side yard.
D.
Access and internal street system. The internal street system in
privately owned mobile home parks shall be privately owned and maintained.
It shall be constructed and maintained in accordance with the applicable
sections set forth for public roads by the Public and Private Improvements
Code. Mobile home parks shall provide at least one access road to
a public road for each 25 mobile homes. These access roads shall be
placed with the advice of local fire departments and emergency services
to facilitate servicing all areas of the park. Internal streets shall
have a paved cartway of at least 20 feet in width.
E.
Street widths at access points. At points where general traffic enters
or leaves the park, streets shall be 24 feet in width within 20 feet
of the existing public street to permit free movement from or to the
stream of traffic on the public street, and no parking shall be permitted
which in any way interferes with such free movement.
F.
Parking spaces. Parking shall be provided in such amount as required
by the Township's Zoning Ordinance, but in no event shall there
be fewer than two parking places for each lot. These spaces may be
located off interior streets and shall be paved or provided with a
stone/gravel/crushed limestone surface of at least six inches in depth,
compacted to provide a year-round mud-free parking area. There shall
be a concrete or paved walkway from the parking area to the main entrance
of the unit. In addition to the on-lot parking, for every mobile home
development with 25 or more units, a visitors' parking area shall
be provided with one space per each two units. This parking lot shall
be paved in accordance with the requirements of the Public and Private
Improvements Code. All parking spaces shall be 18 feet long with a
minimum width of 10 feet, exclusive of aisle/driveway areas.
G.
Recreation. At least 10% of the mobile home park area shall be reserved
or dedicated for the recreation purposes of park residents, with appropriate
location, dimensions and topographic characteristics which, in the
judgment of the Township, lend themselves to such recreational uses.
This will be a private recreational facility.
H.
Waste disposal. Dumpsters or other park waste disposal facilities
shall be isolated from individual mobile homes by at least 50 feet
and shall be screened on at least three sides, with a gate on the
open side.
I.
Arrangement of dwelling units. Modern mobile homes are house-like
in appearance and blend more suitably with traditional housing. Because
of this, lots for such units may be located on the front and along
the side perimeters of mobile home parks. These units shall:
J.
Coverage. Land coverage for individual mobile home lots shall not
exceed 15% for all structures.
A.
Water and sewer. All provisions for water and sanitary sewer facilities
shall be community systems and not individual on-lot systems. Such
systems are to be inspected by the Township, and the design shall
be as required by DEP and shall be approved by that agency.
B.
Gas, telephone and cable. All utility facilities shall be installed
and inspected according to the standards set forth by the utility
company.
C.
Exterior lighting. Adequate lights shall be provided to illuminate
streets, driveways and walkways for the safe movement of vehicles
and pedestrians at night. Full cutoff fixtures shall be as required
to minimize glare.
D.
Other utilities: shall be underground, as feasible.
