(1) Use 7, Mobile Home Park.
(a) The following definitions shall apply to mobile home park use:
COMMON OPEN SPACE
A parcel or parcels of land, or a combination of land and water, within a development site and designed and intended for the use or enjoyment of residents of a development, not including streets, off-street parking areas, and areas set aside for public facilities.
LANDOWNER
The legal or beneficial owner or owners of land, including the holder of an option or contract to purchase (whether or not such option or contract is subject to any condition), a lessee if he is authorized under the lease to experience the rights of the landowner, or other person having a proprietary interest in the land.
MOBILE HOME
A transportable, single-family dwelling intended for permanent occupancy, contained in one unit or in two or more units designed to be joined into one integral unit capable of again being separated for repeated towing, which arrives at a site complete and ready for occupancy except for minor and incidental unpacking and assembly operations, and constructed so that it may be used without a permanent foundation. Maximum height of any mobile home cannot exceed 35 feet.
MOBILE HOME PARK
A parcel (or contiguous parcels) of land which has been so designated and improved that it contains two or more mobile home lots for the placement thereon of mobile homes.
(b) Application procedure. An application for development of a lot or parcel of land for mobile home park purposes shall be made and approved or approved as modified before any zoning permit for such use shall be issued. The Lower Southampton Township Subdivision and Land Development Regulations (
Chapter 22: Subdivision and Land Development) shall govern the processing of all applications for mobile park development and is accordingly incorporated herein in its entirety.
(c) Approval. In addition to the requirements contained in
Chapter 22: Subdivision and Land Development, an application for preliminary or final approval of a mobile home park shall indicate, by drawings, diagrams, maps, text, affidavit or other legal document, the following:
1) That the parcel or lot for which application is made is held in single and separate ownership.
2) The placement, location and number of mobile home lots and mobile home pads on a layout map of the parcel at a standard engineering scale.
3) The location and dimension of all driveways, pedestrianways, curbs, sidewalks and access roads with notation as to type of impervious cover.
4) The location and dimension of all parking facilities.
5) The location, dimension and arrangement of all areas to be devoted to lawns, buffer strips, screen planting and recreation.
6) Location and dimension of all buildings existing or proposed to be built and all existing tree masses and trees of over eight-inch caliper.
7) Proposed provisions for handling of stormwater drainage, street and on-site lighting, water supply and electrical supply, in the form of written and diagrammatic analysis with calculations and conclusions prepared by a registered professional engineer.
8) Proposed provisions for treatment of sanitary sewage together with proof that the treatment and disposal of such sewage meets with and has the approval of the agency of the commonwealth having jurisdiction over such matters, consistent with the Township Act 537 Sewage Facilities Plan.
9) Grading plan of entire lot based on field-run topography survey, minimum two-foot contour interval.
10) Collection of solid waste refuse, trash, etc., including location of collection points, description of refuse units, method of planting or other screening, and schedule of collection times.
(d) Access. Provisions shall be made for safe and efficient circulation to and from public street and highways serving the mobile home park development without causing interference or confusion with the normal traffic flow.
(e) Site drainage requirements. The ground surface on all parts of every mobile home park shall be graded and equipped to drain all surface water in a safe, efficient manner in accordance with
Chapter 22: Subdivision and Land Development, and
Chapter 17: Stormwater Management.
(f) Mobile home park street system. All streets shall be constructed in accordance with the Township specifications applicable to public streets in conventional residential developments under
Chapter 22: Subdivision and Land Development.
(g) Community building. A mobile home park shall permit one community building, which shall conform to the requirements of this part. The community building may contain a management office, common amenities, meeting rooms or any other community purpose use not inconsistent with this part.
(h) Area and density regulations.
1) A mobile home park shall have an area of not less than 20 contiguous acres of land.
2) There shall be not more than five mobile homes or other structures per net acre, being the maximum density permitted on the buildable portion of the lot as determined by this chapter and
Chapter 22: Subdivision and Land Development.
3) There shall be no mobile home unit or structure within 15 feet from any other mobile home and no mobile home within 15 feet from any other structure, porch, patio, roof, deck or additional building or construction of any nature whatsoever. No mobile home shall be less than 25 feet from the curbline.
4) At least 20% of the remaining gross area of each mobile home park, after subtraction of required buffer areas, shall be set aside as common open space for the use and enjoyment of the residents of the mobile home park. Such common open space shall be substantially free of structures except for those designed for recreational purposes.
5) Buffered setbacks of at least 50 feet shall be established along all borders of the property. Buffer plantings shall be installed in accordance with
Chapter 22: Subdivision and Land Development.
6) Impervious surface ratio. No more than 35% of the total lot area shall be covered with impervious surface.
7) Off-street parking areas and walks. Off-street parking for at least two motor vehicles shall be provided at each mobile home sit and shall be designed in accordance with the requirements contained in
Chapter 22: Subdivision and Land Development. Off-site common parking areas may be provided in lieu of parking slots at each mobile home site, but in such case parking slots shall be provided at the ratio of two slots for each mobile home site not equipped with on-site parking.
a) Additional parking spaces for vehicles of nonresidents shall be provided at the rate of four spaces for each 10 units. Such parking spaces may be provided, either:
(i) On street, on one side only; in which case the road-width requirements shall be increased by adding seven feet to the paved width.
(ii) By providing sufficient additional off-street parking spaces. In the event that such additional parking spaces are provided off street, then parking shall be prohibited on internal roads, and it shall be the duty of the owner or operator of the mobile home park to enforce this provision.
b) Fire protection. Adequate fire protection measures, including fire hydrants, shall be provided in accordance with the Township Fire Code.
c) Public utilities, stormwater management. Each mobile home park shall connect to public utility facilities in accordance with Township requirements and shall provide for the proper management of stormwater and erosion and sedimentation control in accordance with relevant Township ordinances.
d) Landscaping. All landscaping requirements contained in
Chapter 22: Subdivision and Land Development, shall be applicable to mobile home parks under this part.
(i) Permits required. It shall be unlawful for any person to construct, alter or extend or operate a mobile home park within Lower Southampton Township unless and until he obtains a permit issued by the Lower Southampton Township Zoning Officer in the name of the operator, which shall not be issued until a copy of the Health Department permit has been furnished, all permits for water supply and sewage systems 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.
(j) Fees. Fees for the initial application and preliminary and final approvals shall be prescribed by resolution by the Board of Supervisors of Lower Southampton Township.
(k) Inspection.
1) Upon notification to the licensee, manager or person in charge of a mobile home park, a representative of Lower Southampton Township may inspect a mobile home park at any reasonable time to determine compliance with this chapter.
2) Upon receipt of the application for annual license and before issuing such annual license, the Zoning Officer or other designated representative of Lower Southampton Township shall make an inspection of the mobile home park to determine compliance with this chapter. The Zoning Officer or other representative shall thereafter notify the licensee of any instances of noncompliance with this part and shall not issue an annual license until the licensee has corrected all such violations.
(l) Maintenance of facilities. The operator and owner shall be responsible for maintaining all common facilities, including but not limited to roads, parking areas, sidewalks or pathways, common open space, water supply and sewage disposal systems, and service building, in a condition of proper repair and maintenance. If upon inspection by a Zoning Officer or other representative it is determined that the mobile home park is not in compliance with this standard of maintenance, the licensee shall be considered to be in violation of this chapter, and the Zoning Officer shall notify the operator or licensee of the particulars of any such violation.
(m) Failure to maintain. The operator and licensee shall thereafter have 30 days in which to correct any such violations; except that, if the violation is determined by the Zoning Officer or other representative to constitute a hazard to the health or safety of the residents of the mobile home park, he shall order that the violation be corrected forthwith.
(n) Responsibilities of the park management.
1) The person to whom a license for a mobile home park is issued shall operate the park in compliance with this chapter and shall provide adequate supervision to maintain the park, its facilities and equipment in good repair and in a clean and sanitary condition.
2) The park management shall supervise the placement of each mobile home on its home site, which includes securing its stability and installing all utility connections.
3) The park management shall give the Lower Southampton Township Zoning Officer or his designate free access to all mobile home sites, service buildings and other service facilities for the purpose of inspection.
4) The mobile home park operator shall maintain a register of all occupants and shall provide the Township with the name of the owner of each mobile home in the park and notice of the arrival and departure of each mobile home.
5) The person to whom a license for a mobile home park is issued shall be the person responsible for any violations of this chapter and shall be liable for prosecution thereof.
6) The park management shall make provisions so that all park streets shall be maintained in passable condition and snow shall be removed commensurate with Township requirements.
7) A copy of this part and copies of all rules and regulations of the mobile home park management shall be posted at a place accessible to all park occupants.
8) Removal of mobile homes. No mobile home in a mobile home park shall be removed from Lower Southampton Township without first obtaining a permit from the Township Tax Collector, as required by Act 54, 1969, of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Such permit shall be issued upon payment of a fee to be established from time to time by resolution of the Board of Supervisors and taxes assessed against the home and all occupants thereof remaining unpaid at the time for permit is requested.
9) Revocation or suspension of license. Upon repeated violations by the same permittee, his right to the issuance of a permit or to continue operation under a permit may be suspended for a fixed term or permanently revoked, after notice and hearing, subject to the right of appeal to the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas.