Coventry City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XI
Residential Mobile Home Districts RMD
[Amended 3-25-2025 by Ord. No. 2025-07]
§ 255-1100 Establishment and purpose.
A.
Article XI and the sections hereof establish the procedures for the creation and review of Residential Mobile Home Districts ("RMD") as a floating zone. This floating zone is an unmapped zoning district, which is established on the Zoning Map only when an application for development meeting the zone requirements is approved as defined by R.I. Gen. Laws § 45-24-31.
B.
The purpose of Article XI is to regulate the location and design of RMDs in such a manner as to create neighborhoods designed for long-term occupancy, to ensure compatibility with surrounding areas and with the natural environment, and to provide safe, sanitary and attractive living conditions for occupants of mobile homes located in such parks. There shall be no creation, extension or expansion of any mobile home park after an amendment of this ordinance, unless such creation, extension or expansion is in conformance with all ordinances concerning RMDs.
§ 255-1110 Procedures.
A.
Application for an amendment to the Zoning Map to create a RMD shall be filed in accordance with the requirements and procedures of Article XVIII of this chapter. Town Council may consider an application for a RMD floating zone map amendment simultaneously with rezoning to the underlying district as one (1) rezoning application.
B.
Application for an amendment to the Zoning Map to create a RMD may be allowed to be filed concurrently with a land development application, in accordance with the requirements and procedures of Article XIV of this chapter. However, the fee for the Zone Map amendment application shall be $500, plus advertising costs.
C.
All applications for a Zoning Map amendment to RMD shall be referred to the Planning Commission by the Town Council. The Planning Commission shall have sixty (60) days to respond to the Council. This sixty-day (60) period shall begin upon the receipt of two copies of all plans and the application in the Planning Department from the Town Clerk's Office after referral by the Council. The Planning Commission may request an extension of this time period if additional time is required to complete the review of the proposed RMD rezoning. The Council may act if the Commission fails to respond within the allotted time.
D.
All RMD Zoning Map amendments shall be approved as conditional upon land development approval of the site plan. Conditional approval of the RMD zone change shall not bind the Planning Commission to approving a land development project for the site. The approval of a RMD zone change legally binds commitment by the applicant to carry out the development as proposed.
E.
In addition to the plat requirements, a site plan, prepared by a Rhode Island registered engineer, and additional application materials shall be required consistent with the application forms and checklists maintained in the Department of Planning and Development.
F.
The applicant shall show to the satisfaction of the Planning Commission that:
(1)
The granting of approval will not result in conditions inimical to the public health, safety, morals and welfare; and
(2)
The granting of such approval will not substantially or permanently injure the appropriate use of property in the surrounding area or district; and
(3)
The plans for such project comply with all of the requirements of this chapter; and
(4)
The plans for such project are in conformance with the Coventry Comprehensive Plan.
G.
In recommending an action to the Town Council, the Planning Commission shall enumerate its reasons for approval or denial and any stipulations that the Planning Commission would like imposed.
H.
After receipt of the Planning Commission's recommendations, the Council shall hold a public hearing in accordance with Article XVIII of this chapter and shall act on the amendment within forty five (45) days of the hearing and may attach conditions to ensure the public health, safety, morals and welfare. Approval of the amendment requires that the final development shall conform to the plans as approved by the Council. Any changes to the plan will require a resubmittal of the application for the rezoning following all procedures of this article.
I.
The approved site plan with any conditions stipulated in the rezoning shall be recorded in the Town Clerk's Office within fourteen (14) days of the Zoning Approval. The Town Planner and Town Engineer shall review the site plan for conformity with the approved rezoning and shall certify to the Town Clerk the conformance of the plan prior to its recording. If the plan does not conform to the approved rezoning, it shall not be recorded and the applicant shall have fourteen (14) days to correct the plan and resubmit for review and recording.
§ 255-1120 Permitted uses and development standards.
A.
In a RMD, the following uses shall be permitted:
(1)
Principal uses. Mobile homes as defined in Article II.
(2)
Accessory uses. Uses directly accessory to a mobile home including parking areas, carport, patios and semi-enclosed outdoor living areas not intended for overnight occupancy. Service buildings as required in Code § 255-1150, recreation areas and facilities for the exclusive use of occupants of the mobile home park and as further provided in this section; offices intended for management and/or service to the mobile home park; and central laundry facilities designed for residents.
(3)
Garages shall not be allowed. The addition to or expansion of a mobile home so as to make it a permanent structure shall not be allowed.
B.
Site standards.
(1)
Lot coverage. Maximum lot coverage by a mobile home in an individual mobile home lot shall not exceed 20% of the gross area of the lot.
(2)
Width and depth. For portions of the tract used for general vehicular entrances and exits only, the lot width shall be a minimum of 50 feet; for portions containing mobile home lots and buildings open generally to occupants, the width of the lot shall be a minimum of 250 feet. The ratio of width to depth shall not exceed one to five.
(3)
Landscaping and buffering. Along all exterior property lines of a mobile home park, a landscaped buffer strip shall be maintained. Such buffer strip shall be no less than 100 feet wide along all property lines. Such buffer strip shall be planted, screened, or otherwise maintained in a natural condition in order to provide year-round visual obstruction of the mobile home lots from abutting land and streets. The provisions of Article XVII shall be met for all landscaping in a mobile home park. Such buffer strip may be used for recreation of a non-intensive character; provided, however, that no structure be located thereon.
(4)
Recreation and open space. At least 10% of the gross land area of the mobile home park shall be reserved for recreational and open space uses. Such recreation and open space shall be located outside the required buffer strip. However, this figure is in addition to any other open areas required by yard provisions or other sections of this chapter. Recreation areas shall be so located as to be free of traffic hazards and should, where the topography permits, be centrally located.
(5)
Access. All mobile home parks shall have a minimum lot frontage of 50 feet on a public street.
(6)
All mobile homes shall be a minimum distance of 75 feet from any park boundary line abutting a public street.
C.
Lot requirements. Individual mobile home lots in a RMD shall conform to the following requirements:
(1)
Lot size. Each individual mobile home lot shall contain a minimum area of 6,000 square feet. Lot size shall be increased by five square feet for each square foot that the mobile home and accessory buildings exceed the allowable size of 1,200 square feet.
(2)
Lot width. The minimum lot width shall be 50 feet.
(3)
Required separation between mobile homes. Mobile homes shall be separated from each other and from other buildings and structure by at least 30 feet. Any accessory structure which has a horizontal area exceeding 25 square feet, is attached to a mobile home or located within 10 feet of its window, and has an opaque top or roof that is higher than the nearest window shall, for purposes of all separation requirements, be considered to be part of the mobile home.
(4)
Setbacks. No mobile home shall be located closer than 15 feet to a lot line abutting an internal street, common parking area or other common areas.
(5)
Frontage. Each mobile home lot shall have frontage on an internal street.
D.
Streets. All streets shall be constructed in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 11 of the Code. Storm drainage plans must be provided and approved by the Town Engineer and shall result in no net increase of runoff.
E.
Density requirements.
(1)
Maximum density requirements for a residential mobile home district shall be two mobile homes per acre. Density shall be computed by dividing the total number of mobile homes by total useable acreage of the development.
(2)
There shall be a maximum of 200 mobile homes per RMD.
§ 255-1130 Occupancy.
A.
No lot shall be rented for residential use in a RMD except for periods of thirty (30) days or more, and no mobile home shall be admitted to any park unless it can be demonstrated that it meets the requirements of the BOCA Basic Building Code, as amended.
B.
No lot shall be rented for residential use unless a license has been obtained in conformance with Chapter 11 of the Code.
§ 255-1140 Service building.
All mobile home parks shall be provided with a service building consolidating all sanitary, laundry, management and other service facilities. The floor area of such service building shall not exceed 2,500 square feet.
§ 255-1150 Sale of mobile homes.
No mobile home shall be sold in a RMD unless it is located on a mobile home stand and connected to permanent utilities.
§ 255-1160 Change of lot size.
The size of mobile homes in an approved park shall not be changed to a larger home unless the size of the mobile home lot is increased in accordance with § 255-1130B(2) of the Code. Prior to any change in a RMD, the proposed changes shall be submitted to the Planning Commission for review. Any changes approved by the Planning Commission must adhere to this chapter.