Township of Forward, PA RECREATIONAL LAND DEVELOPMENTS

[Ord. No. 82-1, 8/15/1982; as amended by Ord. No. 1988-2, 12/13/1988; Ord. No. 2006-1, 6/20/2006]

A campground subdivision or development shall have a gross area of at least five contiguous acres of land in single ownership or under unified control.

All campgrounds shall provide and maintain a vegetative screening strip of planted or natural growth along all property boundary lines. Such screening shall be at a depth of not less than 20 feet to effectively screen the area to a minimum of six feet in height within a reasonable time period (one year of application approval). A planting plan specifying types, size and location of existing and proposed plant material shall be required and approved by the Board of Supervisors.

Recreational land development lots or camping sites in nontransient recreational land developments shall comply with the lot requirements found in § 22-407 hereof. Transient recreational land development lots or camping sites shall be a minimum of 50 feet wide and 75 feet deep and may be clustered. Gross density, however, shall not exceed a total of five sites per acre in such instance (eight per acre if tent/primitive-type camping only). Frontages on culs-de-sac may be varied.

Individual recreational land development lots or camping sites shall be separated from service building structures and other occupied buildings and structures by a minimum distance of 50 feet. Also, notwithstanding the requirements of Subsection 3 above, no recreational vehicle or tent platform shall be located closer than 25 feet to the street right-of-way, closer than 25 feet to any other recreational vehicle or tent platform, or 100 feet to any adjacent property line.

At least two off-street parking spaces of 270 square feet each shall be provided for each site. At least one such off-street parking space shall be provided on each lot, as required.

Street Requirements.

Nontransient Recreational Land Developments. The street design standards contained in Part 4 of this chapter shall apply to streets within nontransient recreational land developments.

Transient Recreational Land Developments. Transient recreational land development streets shall be not less than 50 feet in right-of-way width, and shall be cleared, graded and constructed as required by the Township Board of Supervisors upon recommendation of the Township Engineer, based upon the size of the development, site conditions and type of development proposed (i.e., primitive tent camping or RV camping).

No individual on-site sewage or water supply shall be permitted, and all community systems for the common use of campsite occupants shall fully comply, as evidenced by approved plans, with the standards imposed by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and Forward Township.

The following additional regulations shall apply to all recreational land developments.

Appurtenances. No permanent external appurtenances, such as carports, cabanas or patios, physically and permanently attached to the recreational unit, may be attached to any travel trailer or other recreational vehicle parked in a recreational land development, and the removal of wheels or placement of the unit on a foundation in such a park is prohibited.

Location. A recreational land development shall be so located that no entrance or exit from a park shall discharge traffic into a densely populated residential area exceeding one dwelling unit per acre, nor require movement of traffic from the park through such an area to obtain access to a public highway. A minimum of 150 feet of frontage on a state or Township highway shall be required.

Common Use Areas. A minimum of 10% of the gross site area of the recreational land development shall be set aside and developed as common use areas for open and enclosed recreational facilities. No recreational vehicle site, required buffer strip, street right-of-way, cartway, storage area or utility site shall be counted as meeting this requirement.

Entrances and Exits. Entrances and exits to recreational land developments shall be designed for safe and convenient movement of traffic into and out of the park, and to minimize marginal friction with free movement of traffic on adjacent streets. All traffic into or out of the park shall be through such entrances and exits. Streets shall be laid out to intersect as nearly as possible at right angles; in any event, no street shall intersect another at less than 60°. The radii of curbs and pavements at intersections shall be such as to facilitate easy turning movement for vehicles with trailers attached. No intersection of an entrance and/or exit with a state or Township highway shall be located where less than 500 feet of sight distance exists in either direction along the state or Township highway, nor shall such intersection be located within 150 feet of any other intersection.

Parking Areas. In connection with the use of any recreational land development, no parking, loading or maneuvering incidental to parking or loading shall be permitted on any public street, sidewalk, required buffer, right-of-way or any public grounds; or any private grounds not part of the recreational land development, unless the owner has given written permission for such use. Each recreational land development operator shall provide off-street parking, loading and maneuvering space located and sealed so that the prohibitions above may be observed, and shall be responsible for violations of these requirements.

Occupancy. Campsites shall be used only for camping purposes. No improvement nor any mobile home designed for permanent occupancy shall be erected or placed on any campsite. All recreational vehicles in the development shall be maintained in a transportable condition at all times. Any action toward removal of wheels or to attach the recreational vehicle to the ground for stabilizing purposes is hereby prohibited. Moreover, no campsite shall be occupied for more than 12 consecutive months, and no campsite shall be the primary and principal residence of the owner or any other occupant; each campsite to be used and occupied (excepting occasional guests) for camping and recreational purposes only by a single household. The Township may require any owner to remove a recreational vehicle from the campground for a period of seven days, unless such owner can establish a prior removal within the immediately preceding 12 months. These requirements shall be attached to each campsite sale or membership in nontransient recreational land developments by restrictive covenant.

Records. The management of every recreational land development shall be responsible for maintaining accurate records concerning the occupancy of all campsites. The term "management" shall include associations of property owners when such are responsible for maintenance and operation of common facilities. The Township Board of Supervisors and/or its designated agents shall have access to, and the right to inspect, records for evidence of permanent residency or lack thereof. The Township Board of Supervisors and/or its designated agents shall, in addition, have the authority, when any provision of this Part is violated, to prohibit the occupancy of any and all campsites in a recreational development until the owners and/or management provide evidence of compliance with these provisions.

Waste Disposal. No owner or occupant of any campsite or recreational land development lot shall permit or allow the dumping or placement of any sanitary or other waste anywhere upon any campsite or elsewhere within the development, except in places designated therefor. No outside toilets shall be erected or maintained on any campsite. Plumbing fixtures within any recreational vehicles placed upon lots in the recreational land development shall be connected to the sewage disposal system for the development. Sanitary facilities, including toilets, urinals and showers, shall be provided within 500 feet of each lot or campsite. A minimum of one toilet per sex per 25 lots or campsites shall be provided.

Fences. All property lines within the development shall be kept free and open, and no fences, except as may be required by screening sections or may exist naturally, ledges or walls shall be permitted thereon. This shall not, however, preclude the erection of fences around the perimeter of the development.

Nuisances. No noxious or offensive activities or nuisances shall be permitted on any campsite or lot. The management plan shall provide for limiting significant noise-generating activities to specified periods of time that allowing for sleeping by neighboring residents.

Animals. No animals shall be kept or maintained on any campsite or lot, except the usual household pets. Pets shall be kept confined so as not to become a nuisance.

Garbage and Refuse Disposal. No person shall burn trash, garbage or other like refuse on any campsite. All such refuse shall be placed and kept in airtight receptacles for the same. No owner shall permit the accumulation of litter or refuse or junk vehicles on a campsite or lot.

Camping Accessories. Notwithstanding any provisions herein contained to the contrary, picnic tables, benches, storage sheds, fireboxes or fireplaces, and similar items of personal property may be placed on a campsite. All personal property on a campsite shall be maintained in good condition so as not to become unsightly.

Ditches and Swales. Each owner shall keep drainage ditches and swales located on his campsite free and unobstructed and in good repair, and shall provide for the installation of such culverts upon his campsite as may be reasonably required for proper drainage. He shall also prevent erosion on his campsite or lot.

Drilling and Mining. No drilling, refining, quarrying or mining operation of any kind shall be permitted, nor shall drilling for water or digging of water wells be permitted on any individual campsite or lot.

Vehicle Parking. No recreation vehicle shall be parked on any street or roadway within the development.

Fire Rims. Each campsite fireplace shall be provided with a fire rim of concrete construction at least eight inches in height to contain the fire.

Water Supply. Potable water drinking fountains shall be provided within 300 feet of each campsite, and firefighting needs shall also be addressed in the case of recreational land developments accommodating recreational vehicles by providing an emergency water source approved by the local fire department.

The operational standards contained in this section shall be incorporated in restrictive covenants attached to the deeds for lots in nontransient recreational developments and shall be made part of a management plan for any transient recreational developments, which covenants and/or plan shall be approved by the Township Board of Supervisors in its review of preliminary and final plans for the recreational development. A management plan shall be required for all recreational land developments, and restrictive covenants incorporating the standards of this section shall be required of all nontransient recreational developments. This shall be in addition to the submission requirements contained in Part 3 of this chapter. A plan or set of covenants which does not adequately provide for conformance with this section shall not be approved and, in the case of the latter, shall provide for the establishment of a bona fide property owners' association. The plan and/or covenants shall also provide the Township with the option (but not the obligation) of being a party to their enforcement and include a right for the Township to periodically inspect the development for continued compliance with the plan and/or covenants.

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Editor's Note: Part 16, Certificates and Approvals, which followed this section in Ord. No. 2006-1, consists of a series of forms. Current information is on file at the Township offices.