Soap Lake City Zoning Code

The purpose of this chapter is to provide a means for the establishment and operation of manufactured home parks within the city of Soap Lake; to ensure a suitable living environment for owners of manufactured homes located within manufactured home parks; and to establish standards to promote the health, safety, and general welfare.

Manufactured home parks shall be established pursuant to the provisions of this chapter and Chapter 16.26 SLMC entitled "Binding Site Plan."

Subject to the provisions of this chapter, the following uses are permitted in a manufactured home park:

Manufactured home parks are allowed in the R-2 and R-3 zones as a conditional use subject to review and approval of the planning agency and in compliance with the standards and requirements of this chapter and the standards of the underlying zone. The standards and requirements of this chapter shall supersede the standards and requirements of the underlying zone.

Any use not expressly permitted outright or as a conditional use in this chapter shall be prohibited, including but not limited to the following examples:

Manufactured home parks shall be developed at a density of not more than 10 dwelling units per acre.

There shall be no minimum or maximum required manufactured home park size.

Setbacks and separations in the manufactured home park shall be as follows:

The manufactured home park shall contain designated hard surface pedestrian walkways to and from all service and recreation facilities; and between locations where pedestrian traffic might interfere with vehicular traffic.

The manufactured home park shall be enclosed on all sides with a permanently maintained sight-obscuring fence, wall, berm, or combination thereof six feet in height and tapering to a maximum of four feet in height at the park entrances as approved by the city engineer to ensure adequate sight distance.

Landscaping shall comply with Chapter 17.57 SLMC. All natural and artificial barriers, driveways, lawns, trees, landscaping, buildings, occupied and unoccupied manufactured home spaces, recreation areas, and open spaces shall be continually maintained.

Every manufactured home space shall be identified with an individual number in logical sequence which is uniformly located and clearly visible from the private street and so shown on the official binding site plan.

Signs identifying the manufactured home park shall conform to the applicable sign ordinance.

A minimum of 435 square feet per manufactured home unit shall be set aside and maintained as common open space for the manufactured home park. Such space and location shall be accessible and usable by all residents of the park. Parking space(s), driveways, storage areas, and private streets are not considered to be usable open space. The open space shall be of such grade and surface suitable for active or passive recreation. The following minimum ground area per manufactured home unit shall not be included as common open space:

No building or structure shall exceed 30 feet in height.

No building or structure shall be placed or constructed over a public easement or over dedicated right-of-way, except that fences may be placed over a public easement to the city subject to permission from the city of Soap Lake.

Uses within a manufactured home park shall not inflict upon adjacent property or upon adjacent manufactured home units smoke, dust, glare, odor, vibration, noise, electrical interference, or excessive hazard. Noise in a manufactured home park shall not exceed the standards set forth in this code.

A bulk storage area shall be provided for the storage of materials and equipment owned by the residents of the manufactured home park. A minimum of 300 square feet of space exclusive of driveways shall be provided for every 10 manufactured home units. Bulk storage areas shall be contained within the manufactured home park. Access to the storage area shall be through the manufactured home park. Access to the storage area shall not be onto a public street. A six-foot-high sight-obscuring fence shall be erected and maintained around the perimeter of the storage area. The requirements of this section shall be waived when the manufactured home park developer/owner agrees to prohibit storage of such items in the manufactured home park and such prohibition is inscribed on the face of the binding site plan.

Storm water runoff or drainage shall be controlled and contained on site except where adequate off-site storm water drainage systems are available. Storm water runoff and/or drainage resulting from the manufactured home park must be controlled so that water will not flow onto a public sidewalk or onto adjacent property except when water flows in a natural course from one property to another. Drainage into a city street gutter must be approved by the city engineer. Manufactured home parks shall provide for on-site or off-site detention or control of excess storm water or drainage resulting from the use. The manufactured home park shall not cause downstream property owners to receive storm water runoff at a higher peak flow than would have resulted from the same event had the use or improvement not been present.

All manufactured homes shall have compatible foundation fascia of fire and weather resistant material, which must be continually maintained.

Outdoor lighting shall be provided to adequately illuminate internal streets and pedestrian walkways. Lights shall be sized and directed to avoid adverse impact from glare on adjacent property.

Satellite receiving antennas shall be sited in compliance with the setback and separation standards of this chapter.

All property developed within 200 feet of the high water mark of Soap Lake or its associated wetlands as defined by the city's shoreline management master plan, and any uses relying on the shoreline for such use, shall conform with the city's shoreline management master plan.

The owner and/or authorized operator of the manufactured home park shall be responsible for ensuring the maintenance of the manufactured home park and compliance with the provisions of this chapter.

Prior to the location, relocation, establishment, or initial occupancy of any manufactured home, the manufactured home owner or authorized representative shall obtain a set up permit from the city. Application for the permit shall be on forms prescribed and furnished by the city. The permit fee shall be established by the city. Each permit issued by the city shall be valid until the manufactured home is moved to another location.

All manufactured homes shall be set up in accordance with the manufacturer's specifications and as required by the building official in accordance with any applicable federal, state, or local regulations.

All manufactured homes not established as a residence within the city prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this title shall bear the insignia of approval by the state of Washington or the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development indicating compliance with 42 U.S.C. Sections 5401 through 5403 standards (as amended in 2000).

Recognizing that there may be ambiguities in any ordinance and that it may be necessary to obtain an interpretation or ruling regarding intent, interpretation, or definition, the planner may forward a request to the planning agency for an interpretation or ruling regarding the application of the provisions of this chapter to any existing or proposed use.

Any decision made by any administrator, officer, board, or agency in carrying out the provisions of this chapter may be appealed as provided for in Chapter 18.11 SLMC.

No certificate of occupancy or business license may be issued by the city for new development until the premises have been inspected by the building official and found to be in compliance with the provisions and requirements of this chapter.

Any land use, structure, lot of record or sign which was legally established prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this title or subsequent amendment to it and which could not be permitted to be established as a new use in a zone in which it is located by the regulations of this title, may be permitted to continue as a legal nonconforming use in compliance with Chapter 17.69 SLMC entitled "Nonconforming Uses."