Shenandoah County, VA Article IX Permanent Mobile Home and Manufactured Housing Parks

[Amended in its entirety at time of adoption of Code[1]]

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I.

§ 165-57 Special use permit required.

The location of mobile home and manufactured housing parks shall require a special use permit issued by the governing body in appropriate districts where permitted. This article is intended to set forth the design criteria for planned communities of mobile homes and manufactured housing.

§ 165-58 Area regulations.

A. The minimum size for a mobile home or manufactured housing park shall be five acres.

B. The land on which mobile homes or manufactured houses are installed may be held under single ownership for rental of plots, or it may be subdivided into lots for sale. In either case, the minimum area of the lot or plot shall be 5,000 square feet for single-wide mobile homes and 7,000 square feet for double-wide mobile homes. Only one mobile home or manufactured house is permitted per lot or plot.

§ 165-59 Minimum lot/plot width and frontage.

A. The minimum width of all lots or plots shall be 50 feet.

B. All lots shall front on a public street constructed to meet Virginia Department of Transportation subdivision street standards. The minimum frontage on the public street shall be 50 feet.

C. Rental plots may front on either a public or a private street. Public streets shall be constructed to meet Virginia Department of Transportation subdivision street standards. Private streets shall meet the standards set forth in § 165-62C. The minimum frontage on either a public or private street shall be 50 feet.

§ 165-60 Minimum yard requirements.

A. Front yard. Structures shall be located 35 feet or more from the front lot or plot line. This shall be known as the "setback" line.

B. Side yard. Each side yard on a lot or plot shall be a minimum of 15 feet; provided, however, that zero lot line parks are permitted according to the following standards:

(1) Structures may be located within 15 feet of one side lot or plot line or even directly abutting one side lot or plot line ("zero lot lines").

(2) The other side yard shall be a minimum of 30 feet.

(3) No mobile home or manufactured home shall be located within 30 feet of another.

C. Rear yard. Each rear yard on a lot or plot shall be a minimum of 15 feet. Accessory buildings may be built to within five feet of the rear lot or plot line.

§ 165-61 Park buffer.

No structures, streets or parking areas shall be placed within 50 feet of the perimeter boundary of the mobile home or manufactured housing park.

§ 165-62 Park access.

A. Mobile home and manufactured housing parks subdivided into lots for sale shall be served by public streets meeting Virginia Department of Transportation subdivision street standards.

B. Mobile home and manufactured housing parks held under single ownership for rental of plots may be served by either public streets meeting Virginia Department of Transportation subdivision street standards or private streets meeting the standards set forth in Subsection C; provided, however, that no private street shall serve more than 10 plots.

C. All private streets within mobile home or manufactured housing parks shall meet the following standards:

(1) Minimum right-of-way width for the street and utilities shall be 40 feet.

(2) Adequate right-of-way shall be provided at the entrance of the private street to a public street so as to accommodate VDOT entrance requirements.

(3) Minimum travelway width shall be 18 feet.

(4) Minimum curve radius shall be 110 feet.

(5) Maximum travelway grade shall be 16%.

(6) Shoulders of a minimum two-foot width shall be provided on both sides of the travelway.

(7) The travelway shall be graded, crowned [3%], compacted and surfaced with a minimum of six inches of VDOT No. 21B type aggregate (crushed stone) and with a topcoat of prime and double seal or two inches of asphalt.

(8) Any utility placed within the street right-of-way shall have at least 36 inches of cover.

(9) Side ditches, relief ditches and culverts shall be provided at appropriate locations to accommodate pre- and post-construction drainage.

(10) Stream crossings by bridge or culvert shall meet the following criteria:

(a) As a minimum, all crossing structures shall be designed to accommodate a twenty-five-ton vehicle.

(b) Bridges and culverts shall be designed to pass the ten-year storm without overtopping.

(11) The owner of the park shall be responsible for maintenance of all private streets and drainage facilities.

§ 165-63 Mounting and anchoring.

All mobile homes and manufactured housing shall be mounted and anchored in accordance with the current edition of the Virginia Uniform Statewide Building Code.[1]

[1] Editor's Note: See Ch. 71, Building Construction, Art. I.

§ 165-64 Off-street parking.

At least two off-street parking spaces shall be provided for each mobile home or manufactured house. Mobile homes and manufactured housing parks may employ common parking lots to provide off-street parking.

§ 165-65 Water and sewer facilities.

The Virginia Department of Health must certify that each lot or plot shall be provided with an approved source of water supply and an approved means of sewage disposal before the mobile home or manufactured housing park shall be approved. Water and sewer service shall be provided through a public or community system. All community systems shall be dedicated to a public authority established according to § 21-112.22 et seq. of the Code of Virginia.

§ 165-66 Common areas.

A. All mobile home and manufactured housing parks shall have common open space of at least 1/4 acre. For parks containing over 30 lots or plots, additional common open space shall be provided equivalent to 360 square feet per mobile home or manufactured house over 30.

B. The common open space shall be provided with a playground containing at least five pieces of play apparatus, or an open play area with seating area and picnic shelter, or a one-fourth-mile jogging/walking trail.

C. Other common areas may be provided for parking, private streets or storage. Storage areas shall be surrounded by an eight-foot-high opaque fence and shall be located at least 30 feet from any structure, 50 feet from the perimeter boundary of the park and 35 feet from any public or private street.

D. All common areas shall be maintained either by a property owners' association, as provided for in Article VIII of Chapter 142, Subdivision of Land, in the case of a park subdivided into lots for sale, or by the single owner of the park in the case of a rental park.

§ 165-67 Approval of mobile home or manufactured housing parks.

A. All parks held under single ownership for rental of plots shall meet the site plan review requirements of Article XIV. The site plan shall show all rental plots defined by metes and bounds and depicted in the form of a plat.

B. All parks where lots are to be sold shall be subject to preliminary and final subdivision plat approval according to the Chapter 142, Subdivision of Land.

§ 165-68 Existing mobile home parks.

Mobile home parks existing as of 1996 shall be grandfathered; provided, however, that any expansion or addition to an existing mobile home park shall meet the standards set forth in this article IX.