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Selah City Zoning Code

10.26 Development/Expansion

of Mobile/Manufactured Home Parks

The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards and criteria for development/expansion of mobile/manufactured home parks, in addition to those required for Class 3 Conditional Use Permits. These standards are provided to ensure uniform, coordinated development of manufactured/mobile home parks and to ensure the general health, welfare and safety of the occupants of manufactured/mobile homes that may be located within a park developed under these standards.

10.26.010 Purpose.

The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards and criteria for development/expansion of mobile/manufactured home parks, in addition to those required for Class 3 Conditional Use Permits. These standards are provided to ensure uniform, coordinated development of manufactured/mobile home parks and to ensure the general health, welfare and safety of the occupants of manufactured/mobile homes that may be located within a park developed under these standards. (Ord. 1634, § 94, 2004.)

10.26.020 Site plan requirements.

All proposals for mobile/manufactured home parks shall include a site plan based upon a land survey drawn by a licensed architect, engineer or surveyor and shall include the following information in addition to the standard information required for site plans:

(1) All spaces shall be clearly delineated and include building envelope, dimensions, square footage and set backs;

(2) The location of required parking for each unit;

(3) Streets;

(4) Signage for the park and directional signage;

(5) The location of all solid waste containers and screening of containers;

(6) All facilities, utilities, improvements and amenities including pathways, sidewalks, and recreational facilities. (Ord. 1634, § 95, 2004.)

10.26.030 Development standards.

All proposals for mobile/manufactured home parks (not to include mobile/manufactured home subdivisions) shall be developed in compliance with the underlying zoning district and shall be in compliance with this section. The density of a park or park expansion shall not exceed the underlying land use designation contained on the city of Selah Urban Growth Area Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map. All required site improvements shall be installed prior to placement of dwellings in the new or expanded park. Additional site improvements may be required by the reviewing official.

(1) Minimum Dimensional Standards and Setbacks. The manufactured/mobile home park spaces/lots shall meet the lot size, lot width and all other standards for detached single-family dwellings, including setbacks, as provided in Chapter 10.12 as if the individual spaces were lots. Except, space size may be reduced with the provision of improvements in accordance with the following:

(A) Provision of Recreational Areas. Space size requirements of the underlying district may be reduced by a maximum of ten percent with the provision of a developed recreational area for use by the residents. The recreation area shall be suitable for active recreation and shall consist of a minimum of ten percent of the park area.

(2) Provision of Sidewalks. Sidewalks a minimum of five feet in width serving one side of each street and all recreational areas.

(3) Internal Street Paving. A minimum twenty-four foot wide paved internal private street with curbs and gutters shall be required for access to each space.

(4) Off-Street Parking. Two paved off-street parking spaces shall be provided for each space.

(5) Street Lighting. A street light shall be provided at each street intersection within the park.

(6) Right-of-Way Dedication and Frontage Improvements. Appropriate provisions for right-of-way dedication and right-of-way improvements adjacent to the park shall be made, including street paving, and where required: sidewalks, curb, gutter, and street lighting. Improvements shall be installed prior to placement of units in the new or expanded park, unless an appropriate bond or instrument acceptable to the city is provided to guarantee installation of improvements. All development standards of this title or adopted city or state regulations, when applicable, shall be met, except when installation of permanent improvements would likely result in unnecessary future public cost; in which case the developer may be required to place a proportional share of funds in escrow to be applied to the future improvements.

(7) Street Signs and Internal Directional Signs. Streets within the park shall be named utilizing street signs consistent with public works department standards. Internal directional signs indicating unit/space numbers shall be placed on all street intersections within the park.

(8) Utilities. All utilities, including electrical distribution, telephone, cable television, irrigation and domestic water and sewer shall be installed underground prior to placement of dwelling units in the park. The internal water system shall include fire hydrants located at the direction of the fire chief.

(9) Minimum Unit Separation. Dwelling units shall be separated by a minimum of ten feet, measured from the furthest extremity of each unit, including stairways.

(10) Perimeter Site – Screening and Landscaping. Parks shall be site-screened with a six foot high, view-obscuring fence or wall and shall include at a minimum a ten foot wide landscape strip located adjacent and on the outside perimeter of the fence and shall consist of a combination of shrubs, trees and ground cover. Trees shall be planted no more than thirty feet apart.

(11) Storm Water Drainage. All storm water drainage shall be retained on site, meet the requirements of Chapter 6 of the City of Selah Design, Construction Standards, and Specifications Manual for Public Works Improvements as adopted in Section 13.01.010, and a drainage plan shall be approved by the public works department.

(12) Dumpsters/Solid Waste Containers. Dumpsters and solid waste containers shall be provided for common use and shall be screened with a six foot high, view-obscuring fence or wall with an access gate.

(13) Play Area Requirement. Each space shall provide a play area for children contained within the space, consisting of a minimum size of six hundred square feet and a minimum width of fifteen feet. The required play area may be reduced in size when a recreational area developed in accordance with subsection (1)(A) of this section is provided.

(14) Maintenance of Common Areas, Landscaping and Open Space/Recreational Areas. All common areas and facilities, including streets, walkways, utilities, landscaping, storage areas, open space and recreational areas, shall be continuously maintained in good condition by the park owner or designated homeowner's association. An irrigation system shall be installed for maintenance of common landscaping and recreational/open space areas that would normally require irrigation. (Ord. 2082, § 3, 2019; Ord. 1634, § 96, 2004.)

10.26.040 Approval process.

(a) Proposed new or expanded mobile/manufactured home parks shall be subject to review under this title. Subject to findings of the proposal's conformance with the comprehensive plan and the requirements of this title, the reviewing official may grant preliminary approval of the project, enabling the applicant to meet state and city requirements for final site plan approval.

(b) The final site plan for the project, prepared by the applicant's professional designer, shall be submitted along with the applicable fee and verification that all required improvements have been completed or a surety bond has been posted in a form and amount acceptable to the city for their completion.

(c) The final site plan shall be legibly drawn, printed or reproduced at a scale appropriate to show the necessary detail, which in no event shall be less than one inch to one hundred feet, and containing at least the following:

(1) Designation of the areas and locations of all easements, streets, roads, parking areas, improvements, utilities, building envelopes, and required open spaces and permanent irrigation system to maintain open space/recreational areas that would normally require irrigation; and

(2) An accurate legal description of the property;

(3) The parcel number;

(4) A north arrow;

(5) The scale of the map;

(6) All property lines, their lengths and bearings;

(7) Signature line for the reviewing official;

(8) The notarized signature of the property owner(s);

(9) A statement signed by the local health officer that the plan meets the rules, regulations and standards of the Washington State Department of Health;

(10) Inscriptions or supplemental documents setting forth the limitations and conditions of the use of the land, or of approval, prescribed by the reviewing official;

(11) The following statement: "The spaces contained in this park shall be for the purpose of lease of manufactured or mobile home sites only. The sale of lots without prior compliance with procedures governing the subdivision of land shall constitute a violation of state and/or local laws";

(12) Designation and design details of the buffer strip, in accordance with Section 10.26.030(10).

(d) The final site plan shall be submitted to the reviewing official to be reviewed. Once approved it shall be filed with the county auditor within fourteen days.

(e) Building permits for the manufactured or mobile homes shall not be granted until the final site plan has been filed with the county auditor.

(f) Development in conformity with the approved final site plan is binding. Deviation from any condition upon which approval was granted, or from any condition shown on the approved final site plan, shall constitute a violation of this title punishable and enforceable in the manner provided for in Chapter 10.44 and Title 21. (Ord. 1634, § 97, 2004.)

10.26.050 Expansion of legal nonconforming mobile/manufactured home parks.

The expansion of legal nonconforming manufactured/mobile home parks is an incentive to improve the livability of the park and upgrade the dwelling units within it. It is recognized and anticipated that some existing parks will not be able to meet all requirements for expansion.

(1) Expansion of a legal nonconforming manufactured/mobile home park shall only be allowed when such expansion also includes substantial improvements in the existing manufactured/mobile home park to such a degree that the existing park, including the expanded area complies with or is substantially more in conformance with the provisions of applicable codes and this title and more compatible with the surrounding neighborhood than it would be otherwise if expansion is denied.

(2) The reviewing official shall determine the extent and nature of improvements required in the existing park to conform to applicable codes and this title.

(3) This section expressly prohibits an increase in the number of dwelling units within a legal nonconforming manufactured/mobile home park which already exceeds allowable zoning density unless the administrative official finds:

(A) That such increase is required to finance improvements in the older part of the manufactured/mobile home park;

(B) Such increase is compatible with the neighborhood;

(C) The water and sanitary facilities will be adequate to meet the needs of the park's residents;

(4) The reviewing official may require that some existing dwelling units within the park be moved to the expansion area to make the manufactured/mobile home park, as a whole, more conforming to the provisions of applicable codes.

(5) The number of replacement dwelling units allowed may be adjusted by the reviewing official, based on the number of existing bedrooms and the configuration of the mobile/manufactured home park, in order to achieve the objectives of this title.

(6) The expanded number of dwellings units shall not exceed more than fifty percent of the existing developed spaces within the park or twenty dwelling units, whichever is less. The reviewing official may decrease the actual number of spaces approved for a proposed expansion, depending on the proposed degree of improvement and conformance of the park with applicable codes. In no event shall the reviewing official approve more spaces than is herein provided.

(7) When the expansion is located adjacent to an agricultural use, floodplain or shoreline management area, the following is required to mitigate the effects of the expansion:

(A) A declarative covenant shall be recorded on the deed for the property, as provided in Chapter 10.08.130. The applicant shall provide a copy of the declaration to all existing and new residents of the park.

(B) Perimeter buffering techniques shall be employed which may include fencing, berms, landscape plantings, increased setbacks, road placements, and other measures designed to increase the distance and compatibility between residences and potentially conflicting agricultural uses, floodplains or shoreline management area. (Ord. 1634, § 98, 2004.)