The purpose of this district is to provide areas at suitable locations in the Township for manufactured home communities and to provide reasonable density, area and yard requirements suitable to this type of housing; to provide standards for adequate open space and accessory uses typically required of residents of manufactured home parks; to exclude activities incompatible with manufactured home park development, and to create conditions conducive to carrying out the purposes of this article.

(Ord. No. 96-05, Art. IV(400), 6-3-96; Ord. No. 99-14, § 1E, 5-11-99)

All lots or real estate situated in this district shall be considered a manufactured home park and may be used for the following uses and no others:

(1)

Placement and maintenance of manufactured homes.

(2)

Construction or use of accessory structures, which shall be used solely for utility, operational, office, maintenance or other facilities, solely for the use or benefit of the occupants of the manufactured home park.

(3)

Parking for use by occupants, employees and visitors.

(4)

Recreational uses or commercial facilities exclusively for the use of the manufactured home park residents and their guests.

(Ord. No. 96-05, Art. IV(401), 6-3-96; Ord. No. 99-14, § 1E, 5-11-99)

No property may be used or expanded for manufactured home purposes and no permit may be issued for such:

(1)

Unless the applicant shall have furnished to the Zoning Officer the location and legal description of the manufactured home park.

(2)

Unless approvals, licenses or certifications, whichever are appropriate, have been obtained and kept current from the Bucks County Department of Health and the appropriate agency of the Pennsylvania Department of Health.

(3)

No manufactured home may be occupied until the residents thereof have acquired an occupancy permit, which permit shall be issued by the Zoning Officer after he or the Township Building Inspector shall have determined that the use and occupancy of said manufactured home shall be in accordance with this and other ordinances of Bensalem Township. There shall be a fee established by the Bensalem Township Council for such occupancy permit, payable to the Township, which sum shall cover the cost of inspection.

(4)

Passenger shelter.

(Ord. No. 96-05, Art. IV(402), 6-3-96; Ord. No. 99-14, § 1E, 5-11-99)

(a)

The following shall be requirements for the use of property for a manufactured home park:

(1)

Site area and density. That area of the site to qualify for a manufactured home park shall contain not less than 25 acres of contiguous land not interrupted or divided by any Township street or road, and said site shall in total contain no more than four trailers per acre of land located therein.

(2)

Manufactured home space size. Each manufactured home space shall have an area of not less then 5,000 square feet.

(3)

Manufactured home stand location. All manufactured home stands shall be so located on their manufactured home spaces so that manufactured homes and attachments thereto shall be separated from each other and from other buildings and structures by at least 25 feet, provided that manufactured homes placed end to end may have a clearance of 20 feet, where opposing rear walls are staggered.

(4)

Yard setback requirements. All manufactured homes shall be located at least 50 feet from any park property boundary line abutting on a public street or highway and at least 75 feet from any other park property boundary lines, and all permanent structures located within a manufactured home park shall meet the yard setback requirements of the R-1 residential district.

(5)

Height regulations. No building or structure shall exceed 35 feet in height, provided that such height limits may be exceeded by one foot for each foot by which the width of each side yard is increased beyond minimum side yard requirements, up to a maximum height of 50 feet.

(6)

Water and sewers. All dwelling units within the manufactured home park development shall be served by a public sanitary sewage disposal system and by community water supply facilities. The word "community" shall apply to such services provided by a municipal, regional or county authority or by the municipality itself, or if such services are not available to the site or, if available to the site, but do not have adequate capacity to serve the development, then the word "community" may refer to a privately operated and maintained facility for the provision of water, so long as such community facility is duly licensed and permitted to provide such facilities by appropriate state or county agencies. In any event, the water shall be provided at sufficient pressure and with sufficient storage to charge any fire hydrants which shall be provided. Location and number of hydrants shall be determined by the Fire Marshal. All water systems shall be approved by the Township Fire Marshal and the Township Engineer. The word "public" shall mean sanitary sewers operated by a municipal or county authority or by the municipality or county itself.

(b)

Utilities. All utilities shall be installed and maintained in accordance with utility company specifications regulating such systems and shall be underground.

(Ord. No. 96-05, Art. IV(403), 6-3-96; Ord. No. 99-14, § 1E, 5-11-99)

No permit shall be issued nor shall any property be used as a manufactured home park except in accordance with the following regulations:

(1)

Manufactured home space: Each manufactured home park shall be subdivided and marked off into manufactured home spaces, each of which space shall contain one manufactured home stand, and not more than one manufactured home shall be permitted to occupy any one manufactured home space, nor shall manufactured home be permitted to occupy a manufactured home space until a manufactured home stand has been constructed thereupon.

(2)

Manufactured home stands: The area of the manufactured home stand shall be improved to provide an adequate foundation for the placement of a manufactured home and in such a position to allow a minimum of 25 feet between the manufactured home and the interior streets or driveways of the park. The manufactured home stand shall be designed so as not to heave, shift or settle unevenly under the weight of the manufactured home, because of frost action, inadequate drainage, vibration or other forces acting under such structure.

(3)

Refuse handling: Metal or rubber garbage or trash cans with tight fitting covers shall be provided in quantities adequate to permit disposal of all garbage, trash and rubbish. Garbage cans shall be located not farther than 200 feet from any manufactured home space. The can shall be kept in a sanitary condition at all times. Garbage and rubbish shall be collected and disposed of as frequently as may be necessary to insure that the garbage cans shall not overflow.

(4)

Insect and rodent control: Grounds, buildings and structures shall be maintained free of rodent harborage and infestation. Extermination methods and other measures to control insects and rodents shall conform with the requirements of the Pennsylvania Department of Health regulations governing manufactured home parks.

(5)

Manufactured home park street systems: All manufactured home spaces shall abut upon streets which shall be of adequate width to accommodate anticipated traffic, shall have an unobstructed access to a primary or secondary residential street, alley or highway, except the paved width of said streets shall be a minimum of 32 feet, with a right-of-way of 50 feet, in accordance with specifications, improvements and design standards as established for the Township of Bensalem.

(6)

Walks:

a.

General requirements. All manufactured home parks shall provide safe, convenient, all-season pedestrian access of adequate width for intended use, durable and convenient to maintain, between individual manufactured homes, the park streets and all community facilities provided for park residents. Sudden changes in alignment and gradient shall be avoided.

b.

Common walk system. Where a common walk system is provided and maintained between locations, and where pedestrian traffic is concentrated, such common walks shall have a minimum width of four feet.

c.

Individual walks. All manufactured home stands 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.

(7)

Lights: There shall be no outside glaring lights and no more outside lights than are necessary for the safe use of the manufactured home park, the same shall be located as far as possible from the boundaries of adjoining properties.

(8)

Site drainage requirements: The ground surface in all parts of every park shall be graded and equipped to drain all surface water in a safe and efficient manner.

(9)

Soil and groundcover requirements: Exposed ground surfaces in all parts of every park shall be paved or covered with stone screenings or other solid material, or protected with a vegetative growth that is not poisonous or which may harbor rodents, insects or other pests harmful to man.

(10)

Off-street parking: Parking shall conform to article XIII, section 232-586. Guest parking shall be provided at a ratio of one space per manufactured home.

(11)

Fire protection: Every manufactured home park shall be equipped at all times with fire extinguishing equipment in good working order.

(12)

Open space: Each manufactured home park shall contain an area equal to 15 percent of the total park area for recreational or similar purposes which area may be inclusive of the area requirements for yard setback purposes of this article, but must be exclusive of all manufactured home spaces, interior spaces, interior roads, buffers and landscaping, and structures of any kind. Said area shall be reasonably level, contiguous and not within wetlands or floodplains.

(Ord. No. 96-05, Art. IV(404), 6-3-96; Ord. No. 99-14, § 1E, 5-11-99)

(a)

The person to whom a permit to operate a manufactured home park has been issued shall operate the park in compliance with this article and shall provide adequate supervision to maintain the park, its facilities and equipment in good repair and in a clean and sanitary condition.

(b)

The park management shall supervise the placement of each manufactured home on its manufactured home stand which includes securing its stability and installing all utility connections.

(c)

The park management shall give the Zoning Officer, Plumbing Inspector and Building Inspector free access to all manufactured home lots, service buildings and other community service facilities for the purpose of inspection.

(d)

It shall be unlawful for any person to maintain, construct, alter or extend any manufactured home park within the Township of Bensalem unless he holds a valid permit issued by the Township of Bensalem in the name of such person.

(e)

The park management 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 buildings, in a conditions of proper repair and maintenance. If upon inspection by the Zoning Officer or other representative it is determined that the trailer 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 Park Management of the particulars of any such violation. All roadways within a manufactured home park shall be accessible to emergency vehicles at all times.

(Ord. No. 96-05, Art. IV(405), 6-3-96; Ord. No. 99-14, § 1E, 5-11-99)

(a)

Manufactured home parks in existence upon the effective date of this chapter shall be required to meet only the standards of the Department of Health of Pennsylvania as a prerequisite to the issuance of a permit; however, all other minimum standards described herein shall be applicable to those parks which are constructed after the time thereof which are expanded after the effective date hereof.

(b)

No manufactured home park may be expanded to the extent that such park, as expanded, will violate the site area and density requirements of this article. All manufactured homes located in existing manufactured home parks shall be counted in computing the number of manufactured homes allowed or allowable in any manufactured home park.

(c)

All manufactured homes or manufactured home spaces existing as of the date of this chapter located within any district created hereby, shall be considered in computing the number of manufactured homes allowed in said district, title of which is in the name of any given person, corporation or title holder as of the date of the passage hereof.

(Ord. No. 96-05, Art. IV(406), 6-3-96; Ord. No. 99-14, § 1E, 5-11-99)