[Added 12-10-1979 by Ord. No. 210]
A. 
Individual mobile homes. Individual mobile homes may be erected on any lot where the use is permitted, provided that compliance is made with zoning requirements, §§ 270-123A and B, 270-125A(3), B(3) and C and 270-127 of this article and all other applicable regulations. Tracts of land may be developed and improved for the purpose of erecting two or more mobile homes, provided that zoning requirements, all requirements of this chapter including those sections referenced above, and other applicable regulations are met. The following regulations of this article apply to mobile home developments, as defined in this chapter.
B. 
Mobile home developments. The provisions of this article shall be followed in the construction or alteration of all mobile home developments, as defined in this chapter, planned for tracts of land 15 acres or greater in size in accordance with Article XX, Mobile Home Development District, of Chapter 300, Zoning. These regulations are in addition to those set forth in Article XX of Chapter 300, Zoning, and other applicable regulations of this chapter, and compliance with all regulations of both chapters is required.
The uses allowed within a mobile home development shall be as specified in § 300-363 of Chapter 300, Zoning.
All applications for mobile home developments shall follow the procedures established in § 300-364 of Chapter 300, Zoning. No application for subdivision or land development approval for the construction of a mobile home development will be accepted until the governing body has given conditional use approval pursuant to the requirements of Chapter 300, Zoning.
All regulations of §§ 300-365 through 300-368 of Chapter 300, Zoning, shall be adhered to in mobile home developments. In addition thereto, the following regulations shall apply:
A. 
Arrangement of structures and facilities. The tract, including mobile home stands, patios, other dwellings and structures and all tract improvements, shall be organized in relation to topography, the shape of the plot and the shape, size and position of structures and common facilities. Special attention shall be given to new mobile home designs and to common appurtenances that are available.
B. 
Adaption to tract assets. Each mobile home unit or other dwelling or structure shall be fitted to the terrain with a minimum disturbance of the land and a minimum elevation difference between the floor level of the unit and the ground elevation under it. Existing trees and shrubs, rock formations, streams, floodplains, steep slopes and other natural features of the tract shall be preserved to the maximum extent practical. Favorable views shall be emphasized by the plan.
C. 
Courts and spaces. Groups or clusters of units, so placed as to create interior spaces and courtyards, shall be incorporated whenever feasible.
D. 
Orientation. Mobile homes are encouraged to be arranged in a variety of orientations and are strongly encouraged to have many units with their long sides facing the street rather than their ends, in order to provide variety and interest. Site layout shall be designed to ensure that mobile home units are offset to block long uninterrupted vistas between the units.
E. 
Street layout. Gridiron layouts and street patterns unrelated to the topography of the site are to be avoided.
F. 
Roadways.
(1) 
Standards. All applicable standards for streets and roads contained in this chapter, and as subsequently amended, shall be adhered to for all public roads in and abutting mobile home developments. In those developments wherein the roads are to be maintained as private internal roadways owned and maintained by the mobile home park operator or owned and maintained in common by the residents/owners of the individual lots, the standards shall be as follows:
(a) 
Right-of-way. There shall be an equivalent right-of-way, as defined herein, reserved along those streets which are designed to function as feeder or collector roads and which connect major exterior roadways, form major loops, traverse the development or provide major or important access to adjacent parcels. No equivalent right-of-way is required on other roads. On those roads where an equivalent right-of-way is required, parallel parking may be permitted, but perpendicular or angle parking is discouraged.
(b) 
Pavement. Pavement width of all residential streets serving as accesses to mobile home lots shall not be less than 26 feet, except that this may be reduced to less than 20 feet on a street serving as an access to no more than 20 mobile home lots where parking is prohibited along the road and off-street visitor parking is provided in common areas within 300 feet of all dwelling units at a rate of 0.3 space per mobile home.
(c) 
Grades. Gradients on all residential streets shall not exceed 10%.
(d) 
Culs-de-sac. A paved turnaround area with a minimum radius of 60 feet shall be provided at the closed end of any cul-de-sac road serving as the sole access to four or more mobile home lots. No permanently closed cul-de-sac street shall exceed 500 feet in length or serve as the sole access to more than 20 mobile home lots.
(e) 
Other requirements. All other applicable requirements of this chapter relating to grades, vertical curves, horizontal curves, tangents between curves, sight distance, construction specifications, intersection alignment, intersection radius, interconnection of adjacent parcels and similar regulations shall be adhered to in all mobile home park developments.
(2) 
Access limitations. Mobile home lots may have direct access only onto minor internal streets. Direct access from a mobile home lot shall not be permitted onto the street(s) from which the mobile home development gains primary access.
(3) 
Conversions. Any road built as a private road and later proposed for conversion to a public road shall be brought up to the applicable standards for public roads prior to being ordained as a public way, unless this requirement is waived by the governing body subsequent to determining that compliance with the requirement would have a negative effect on the mobile home development.
G. 
Pedestrian circulation.
(1) 
General requirements. All mobile home developments shall provide safe, convenient, all-season pedestrian walkways of adequate width for the intended use, durable and convenient to maintain, between individual mobile homes, mobile home development streets, all community facilities provided for the residents and off-site pedestrian traffic generators, such as schools, bus stops, commercial centers, etc. These pedestrian walkways may parallel vehicular roadways, where they shall only be required on one side, or they may form a separate but coordinated system away from streets. Walkways must be provided wherever pedestrian traffic is concentrated and where school children congregate, but may be waived elsewhere if the applicant successfully demonstrates a lack of need.
(2) 
Common walk system. Where a common walk system is provided and maintained between locations, such common walks shall have a minimum width of four feet. Where these walks parallel roadways, they shall be separated from the road pavement by a distance of at least four feet.
(3) 
Individual walks. All dwellings shall be connected to common walks or to streets or to driveways or parking spaces connecting to a paved street. Such individual walks shall have a minimum width of two feet.
H. 
Parking.
(1) 
Spaces required. Two paved off-street parking spaces shall be provided for each dwelling either on the same lot therewith or in common parking facilities, provided that parking areas contained therein are within 150 feet of the mobile home lots for which they are intended. Parking for any commercial or other nonresidential use shall follow the requirements otherwise applicable for such uses.
(2) 
Common parking areas.
(a) 
Aisle width. Where common parking facilities are to be used, the standards contained in Article IV, § 270-50I, for aisle width shall be utilized.
(b) 
Required green areas. Ten percent of all common parking areas on each tract shall be devoted to green areas consisting mostly of natural vegetation which must be interspersed within the paved parking areas to channel traffic or divide parking areas. The green areas required by this section shall not constitute a portion of any green area or common open space otherwise required by this chapter or any other ordinance or regulation of the Township. The exact design and location of the green areas required by this section shall be indicated on a development or subdivision or other similar plan and be permanently maintained as such.
I. 
Common open space.
(1) 
The requirements of § 300-367 of Chapter 300, shall apply.
(2) 
Recreation. Recreation areas and facilities shall be provided to meet the anticipated needs of the residents of the development and as specified in Chapter 300, Zoning, with reference to single-family detached units. Not less than 25% of the required open space area, exclusive of lands within the required buffers, shall be devoted to recreation. Recreation areas should be of a size, shape and relief that is conducive to active and passive recreation.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
J. 
Buffers.
(1) 
General requirements. Along all exterior property boundary lines except those which abut another mobile home development, there shall be a permanent buffer at least 15 feet in depth, unless this is waived pursuant to Subsection J(4) or (5) below. A screen buffer, as defined herein, shall be provided wherever the mobile home development abuts existing residential uses, with the exception of mid-rise or high-rise structures, and where abutting other types of uses when deemed necessary by the Township governing body to provide sufficient buffering and transition. A softening buffer, as defined herein, shall be provided wherever the mobile home development abuts existing mid-rise or high-rise residential uses; existing commercial, office, industrial and institutional uses; any existing street [as modified by Subsection J(3) below], drive or parking area; or open, not wooded, undeveloped land. An open buffer shall be provided wherever the mobile home development abuts wooded undeveloped land or where more extensive buffers are deemed unnecessary by the governing body.
(2) 
Components. The minimum component of each type of buffer shall be as follows:
(a) 
Screen buffer. The primary component of a screen buffer shall be a row of evergreen trees at a height of not less than six feet when planted, spaced not more than 10 feet apart on center, and these trees shall be of such species to attain a height at maturity of not less than 20 feet. Also required as a secondary component of the buffer is one of the following: mounding (the use of which is encouraged), provided that the slopes shall be a maximum of three to one; visually opaque fencing not greater than six feet in height; or coniferous shrubbery. Any combination of evergreen trees, coniferous shrubs, mounding, fencing or other natural vegetation or man-made materials is allowable, provided that an effective visual screen at least 15 feet in height above the adjacent ground elevation in the mobile home development is achieved within a reasonable time. But whenever only vegetation is used, there shall be at least a double row of evergreen trees, with the trees in one row offset five feet from the trees in the other row and the rows at least five feet apart.
(b) 
Softening buffer. The primary component of a softening buffer shall be a row of trees spaced not more than 25 feet apart on-center, at least 25% of which shall be evergreens. The evergreen trees shall be at least six feet in height when planted and shall attain at least 20 feet in height at maturity. Any deciduous trees shall be at least 1 1/2 inches in caliper and eight feet in height when planted and shall attain a height of not less than 20 feet at maturity. These trees shall be interspersed with other allowable components, including any other type of trees, shrubs, mounding, fencing and/or similar natural or man-made elements having a visible vertical dimension, or any combination thereof.
(c) 
Open buffers. The open buffer shall as a minimum consist of grass, ground cover and/or similar vegetative material and may include trees, shrubs or other natural or man-made landscaping materials, but it shall be mostly vegetative with minimal paved areas, if any.
(3) 
Street boundaries. Rather than the extensive buffers described in Subsection J(2) above, the use of a single row of deciduous trees at least eight feet in height when planted and at least 20 feet in height at maturity, with a spacing of not more than 40 feet on center, may be provided along all property boundaries which abut a street, wherever necessary for adequate sight distance or where the governing body determines this to be a sufficient buffer to protect the welfare and safety of the community.
(4) 
Existing buffers. In cases where an edge(s) of a mobile home development occurs along natural features which function as buffers, including but not limited to mature vegetation, significant grade changes or stream valleys, which are likely to be permanently preserved, buffering may be waived along that edge(s) upon approval of the governing body.
(5) 
Buffer alternative. Buffers may also be waived by the governing body where the mobile home development abuts a single-family residential use, if only detached modular homes or conventionally built single-family detached dwellings, but not mobile homes, are constructed within 200 feet of that property boundary.
(6) 
Maintenance. All vegetation shall be maintained permanently and in the event of death or other destruction shall be replaced within one year by the persons responsible for maintenance when the death or destruction occurred.
(7) 
Buffer landscape plan. A landscaping plan shall be submitted with the final plans, showing all pertinent information, including the location, size and species of all individual trees and shrubs to be preserved or planted or, alternately, the general characteristics of existing vegetation masses which are to be preserved.
K. 
Drainage considerations. The following site drainage requirements shall apply to all mobile home developments:
(1) 
Surface water. The ground surface in all parts of the development shall be graded and equipped to drain all surface water in a safe, efficient manner.
[Amended 6-2-2008 by Ord. No. 490]
(2) 
Ponds and retention structures. Surface water collectors and other bodies of standing water capable of breeding mosquitoes and other insects shall be eliminated or controlled in a manner approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
[Amended 6-2-2008 by Ord. No. 490]
(3) 
Wastewater. Wastewater from any plumbing fixture or sanitary sewer line shall not be deposited upon the ground surface in any part of a mobile home development or the surrounding properties.
(4) 
Erosion and sediment control. All applicable regulations and permit requirements to prevent accelerated soil erosion and resulting sedimentation as stipulated by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection shall be followed by all parties engaged in the establishment of a mobile home development.
[Amended 6-2-2008 by Ord. No. 490]
L. 
Ground cover requirement. Exposed ground surfaces in all parts of every mobile home development shall be paved or covered with stone screenings or other solid material or protected with a vegetative growth that is capable of preventing soil erosion and the emanation of dust during dry weather. Impervious pavement shall be kept to a minimum. All ground surfaces shall be appropriately maintained.
M. 
Lighting facilities. Lighting facilities shall be provided as needed and arranged in a manner which will protect the mobile home development residents, neighboring properties and adjacent highways from direct glare or hazardous interference of any kind. Lighting facilities shall be required where deemed necessary by the governing body for the safety and convenience of the mobile home development residents and shall be installed by the developer.
A. 
Ownership. Common open space and roadways shall be offered for dedication to the Township or their public use assured through easements or other appropriate means in any mobile home development where all lots will be sold or where the Township governing body determines those facilities to be key elements in the open space and/or circulation systems of the Township, in accordance with Township comprehensive planning policies and applicable standards of Article VII of Chapter 300, Zoning. In all other cases, these and other common elements may be retained in private ownership, or may be owned jointly by the residents of the development in conformance with Article VII of Chapter 300, Zoning.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
B. 
Maintenance. Prior to development plan approval, provision acceptable to the Township governing body and Solicitor for the maintenance of all common elements which will not be owned and maintained by a governmental agency shall be established in conformance with Article VII of Chapter 300, Zoning.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
C. 
Service building. The structure or structures containing the management office and other common facilities shall be conveniently located for the use intended. Consolidation of laundry, recreation, management and other common facilities in a single building and location is encouraged if the single location will adequately serve all mobile home lots.
A. 
Water supply.
(1) 
General requirements. An adequate supply for domestic, auxiliary and firefighting uses shall be provided for all uses included in the mobile home development, including service buildings and accessory facilities, in accordance with § 300-278 of Chapter 300, Zoning.
(2) 
Water distribution system. All water piping, fixtures and other equipment shall be constructed and maintained in accordance with state and local regulations as well as those of the servicing utility.
(3) 
Individual water-riser pipes and connections: mobile homes.
(a) 
Individual water-riser pipes shall be located within the confined area of the mobile home stand at a point where the water connection will approximate a vertical position, thereby ensuring the shortest water connection possible and decreasing susceptibility to water pipe freezing.
(b) 
The water-riser pipe shall have a minimum inside diameter consistent with the standards of the servicing public utility or, in lack thereof, of the Township Engineer and terminate at least four inches above the ground surface. The water outlet shall be provided with a cap when a mobile home does not occupy the lot.
(c) 
Adequate provisions shall be made to prevent the freezing of service lines, valves and riser pipes and to protect risers from the heaving and thawing actions of the ground during freezing weather. Surface drainage shall be diverted from the location of the riser pipe.
(4) 
Fire protection. All mobile home developments shall be provided with fire hydrants to meet the specifications of the Middlestates Department Association of Fire Underwriters. In addition, those hydrants shall be in sufficient numbers to be within 600 feet of all existing and proposed mobile homes and other dwellings and structures, measured by way of accessible streets or common areas.
B. 
Sewage disposal.
(1) 
General requirements. An adequate and safe sewage system shall be provided in all mobile home developments for the conveying and disposing of sewage from dwellings, service buildings and accessory facilities in accordance with § 300-278 of Chapter 300, Zoning.
(2) 
Sewer system. All sewer lines shall be located in trenches of sufficient depth to be free of breakage from traffic or other movements and shall be separated from the water supply system. The system shall be constructed and maintained in accordance with all state and Township regulations, as well as those of the servicing utility.
(3) 
Individual sewer connections: mobile homes.
(a) 
Each mobile home stand shall be provided with a sewer-riser pipe consistent with the standards of the servicing utility or, in lack thereof, of the Township Engineer. The sewer-riser pipe shall be so located on each stand that the sewer connection to the mobile home drain outlet will approximate a vertical position.
(b) 
The sewer connection shall have an inside diameter and slope as required by the servicing utility or, in lack thereof, by the Township Engineer. All joints shall be watertight.
(c) 
All materials used for sewer connections shall be semirigid, corrosive-resistant, nonabsorbent and durable. The inner surface shall be smooth.
(d) 
Provision shall be made for plugging the sewer-riser pipe when a mobile home does not occupy the lot. Surface drainage shall be diverted away from the riser. The rim of the riser pipe shall extend at least 1/2 inch above ground elevation.
C. 
Underground utilities. All electric, natural gas, telephone and any other utility lines shall be placed underground in all mobile home developments, and each shall have the necessary shutoff valves and other safety requirements normally associated with safe operation; all utility connections shall be appropriately capped for safety purposes whenever a mobile home stand is not occupied.
A. 
Permits required.
(1) 
Lots for sale. In those mobile home developments wherein some or all of the mobile home lots will be sold individually, whether totally fee simple, fee simple with a homeowners' association, a condominium or cooperative, no lot to be conveyed shall be developed or a mobile home or other structure placed or constructed thereon until the subdivision and/or land development plan has been properly approved and the proper building and construction permits have been issued for that lot in accordance with standard procedures for any building activity in Upper Providence Township. No mobile home or other structure shall be occupied until a valid occupancy permit has been issued by the Township.
(2) 
Lots for lease. In those mobile home developments wherein some or all of the mobile home lots will be leased, the following regulations shall apply to the entire development, exclusive of the lots being sold individually:
(a) 
Initial permits. It shall be unlawful for any person or group to construct, alter, extend or operate a mobile home development unless and until that person or group obtains:
[1] 
A valid permit issued by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, in the name of the operator, for a specified construction, alteration or extension proposed; and
[2] 
A valid permit(s) authorizing construction and initial occupancy, issued by the Upper Providence Township Zoning Officer in the name of the operator, which shall not be issued until a copy of the Department of Environmental Protection permit has been furnished, all permits for water supply and sewage systems shall have been obtained and all other requirements contained herein have been complied with and final approval of the application has been granted by the Board of Supervisors.
(b) 
Annual licenses. In addition to the initial permits, the operator of a mobile home development with lots for lease shall apply to the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and to the Upper Providence Township Zoning Officer on or before the first day of each year for an annual license to continue operation of the mobile home park. The Zoning Officer shall issue the annual license upon satisfactory proof that the park continues to meet the standards prescribed by state agencies having jurisdiction and the standards of this article and other applicable Township ordinances. The license so issued shall be valid for one year from the date of issuance.
B. 
Fees.
(1) 
Fees for the initial application and preliminary and final approvals of any mobile home development shall be prescribed by regulations of the Board of Supervisors of Upper Providence Township.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The current fee schedule is on file in the office of the Township Secretary.
(2) 
The fee for the annual license required for mobile home developments having lots for lease shall be prescribed by regulations of the governing body and shall be submitted to the Zoning Officer with the application for the annual license.
C. 
Inspection.
(1) 
Upon notification to the licensee, manager or person in charge of a mobile home development with lots for lease, the Zoning Officer of Upper Providence Township may inspect a mobile home development after due notice to determine compliance with this article.
(2) 
Upon receipt of the application for annual license and before issuing such annual license, the Zoning Officer or other designated representative of Upper Providence Township shall make an inspection of the mobile home development to determine compliance with this article and other applicable Township ordinances. The Zoning Officer or other representative shall thereafter notify the licensee of any instance of noncompliance and shall not issue the annual license until the licensee has corrected all such violations.
A. 
Mobile home stand. A concrete pad properly graded, placed and compacted so as to be durable and adequate for the support of the maximum anticipated loads during all seasons shall be used for all mobile homes.
B. 
Footings and anchoring. Each mobile home shall be installed and anchored according to the applicable standards of Standard for the Installation of Mobile Homes (American National Standards Institute/National Fire Protection Association No. 501A, 1977) and as may be subsequently amended, prior to the unit being occupied or used in any other way.
C. 
Stability. All mobile homes placed within a mobile home development shall, prior to occupancy or other use, be affixed to their mobile home stands in such a way so as to prevent tilting of the unit. No mobile home shall permanently rest on the wheels used to transport the unit.
D. 
Skirts. All mobile homes placed within a mobile home development shall, prior to occupancy or other use, have skirts installed which are designed to complement the appearance of the mobile home and are coordinated throughout the park.
E. 
Hitch. The hitch or tow bar attached to a mobile home for transport purposes shall be removed and remain removed from the mobile home when it is placed on its mobile home stand.