The purpose of the MHPD is to recognize and preserve an existing land use to allow single-family mobile home units to be located at a density similar to the Residence "B" District; to protect and enhance the density and non-conforming status of existing affordable housing unit stock in existing mobile home parks by allowing Mobile Home Units and Mobile Home Unit Spaces to be replaced by Mobile Home Replacement Units; to afford an opportunity for the private, public and private non-profit sectors to make available lower cost housing for Westport families; to permit a diversified type of housing which will offer a housing opportunity to lower income families; and to permit a housing option for single people in areas served by public sanitary sewers. No Mobile Home Park shall be operated in Westport without a license from the Connecticut Real Estate Commission in accordance with the Connecticut General Statutes.

In a Mobile Home Park District, no land, building or structure shall be used and no building shall be hereafter erected, altered, or added to, unless otherwise provided in these regulations, except for one (1) or more of the following uses:

The minimum site on which a Mobile Home Park District shall be established shall be 4 acres. The MHP District shall have at least 50 ft. of frontage on a 40 ft. wide access way providing direct access to the Post Road. Such access way shall not be included in gross area of the lot.

1. The minimum mobile home lot area shall be at least three thousand (3,000) square feet in area for each mobile home lot with no lot dimensions less than forty (40) ft. (See definition)
2. Where MHRUs are proposed, units may be attached or detached and situated on land held in common and need not be on individual lots.

No building, structure or mobile home units shall extend closer than thirty (30) ft. from any exterior street line, or twenty-five (25) ft. from any Mobile Home Park District line. No building, structure or mobile home unit shall extend closer than ten (10) ft. to any interior road, alley or access drive lines, nor closer than five (5) ft. to any interior mobile home unit lot line nor closer than fifteen (15) ft. from any other building, structure, or mobile home unit within the Park.

No building or other structure shall exceed one story and a height of sixteen (16) feet, except MHRUs, which shall not exceed two (2) habitable stories and one (1) non-habitable story and a height of twenty-five (25) feet. On MHRU sites where not less than 80% of the units affordable to families earning not more than 80% of the State Median Income, a height of three (3) stories and thirty-five (35) feet may be allowed adjacent to Non-Residential and MHPD zones and for MHRU buildings thirty (30) feet away from any single-family residence zone. In addition, New Mobile Home Replacement Units (MHRUs) not existing MHRUs may be replaced with three (3) stories and 35 feet if approved by the P& Z Commission, otherwise height shall be limited to two and one-half (2.5) stories and twenty-five (25) feet.

The building coverage shall not exceed 20% of the total of each mobile home lot. The total coverage shall not exceed 50% of the total of each mobile home lot.

Where MHRUs are proposed, total coverage and building coverage shall not exceed the criteria set forth in §16-6 above, or the existing total coverage and existing building coverage on the Park District site, whichever is greater. On MHRU sites where not less than 80% of the units are affordable to families earning not more than 80% of the State Median Income, building coverage maybe increased not to exceed thirty percent (30%) of the lot, and total coverage may be increased not to exceed sixty percent (60%) of the lot. 

No mandatory requirements.

The Park shall be designed, and mobile homes located on the site so as to retain the existing topographical and natural features of the land to the greatest extent possible. All open areas under mobile home units shall be screened with skirting or otherwise enclosed.

Signs shall be permitted in accordance with §33 of the Supplementary Regulations.

Parking and loading shall be provided in accordance with §34 of the Supplementary Regulations, except as follows:

Landscaping, screening and buffer areas shall be provided in accordance with §35 of the Supplementary Regulations. Additionally, Mobile Home Parks shall be enclosed with an approved fence and/or planted hedge, not less than seven (7) feet in height with no openings to adjoining property other than the required entrances and exits to public spaces or streets.

Any MHPD shall be so situated that necessary facilities, such as, but not limited to, medical, shopping and public transit are easily accessible to the occupants of such developments. All buildings and structures shall be connected to public sanitary sewers and public water

 

The following uses are permitted in a MHP District subject to Special Permit and Site Plan approval in accordance with §43, herein.

No new MHRU, excluding exterior stairways, shall extend closer than twenty (20) feet to any exterior street line, or ten (10) feet to any Mobile Home Park District line, interior road, alley or access drive lines, MHRU buildings shall be minimally separated from other buildings as required by the CT State Building Code, and need not maintain a building setback from lot lines interior to a development where the lot is not less than two (2) acres and approved under the same Special Permit.

Mobile home units shall have a minimum floor area, exclusive of kitchen, bath and closet area, of one hundred forty (140) square feet when occupied by not more than two (2) persons and not less than two hundred forty (240) square feet when occupied by three (3) persons, with an additional seventy (70) square feet per person when occupied by more than three (3) persons. No individual room exclusive of kitchen, bath or utility room, shall have an area less than seventy (70) square feet nor be less than seven (7) ft. six (6) inches in minimum dimension. The minimum height of habitable spaces in mobile homes shall be not less than seven (7) ft.

No mobile home unit shall exceed a maximum of 960 square feet of gross interior floor area, except no MHRU shall exceed a maximum of 1200 square feet of gross interior floor area. No Mobile Home Park project shall exceed an average 800 square feet of gross interior floor area per mobile home unit, except no MHRU shall exceed an average 1100 square feet of gross interior floor area per MHRU. Non-habitable third floor area in the MHRU is not included. On MHRU sites where not less than 80% of the units are affordable to families earning not more than 80% of the State Median Income, the maximum area for an individual unit shall not exceed 1350 square feet and the maximum average unit size may be increased to 1200 square feet.

Two (2) spaces shall be provided for each mobile home unit.

Where an existing Mobile Home Park contains units that do not meet the parking standards of §16-12.1 above, one and three-quarters (1.75) spaces shall be provided for each MHRU.

At least one space shall be located on each mobile home unit lot. The additional parking spaces shall be provided in well designed and landscaped parking areas, on the individual mobile home unit lot or on street within the MHPD.

Parking spaces for MHRUs shall be provided in conveniently located parking areas within the MHPD. Tandem parking may be considered subject to the discretion of the P&Z Commission. To minimize the paved coverage, the P&Z Commission may allow parking spaces provided in excess of the minimum number of spaces required per §16-12.2 above to be established on grass pavers or other permeable surface.

Roads, alleys or access drives shall be provided within the park area to afford easy access to all parking spaces and mobile home unit lots. They shall be constructed with a hard, dustless road surface and shall provide ready means of entrance and exit to an exterior street in an approved manner. The minimum width of roadways shall be 12 feet per travel lane and 8 feet per parking lane. Satisfactory means of drainage shall be provided with all streets and lanes draining into catch basins properly connected to the drainage system in accordance with applicable requirements for such facilities. Walkways shall be provided as necessary to all accessory buildings and service facilities of the park. Walks shall have a non-slip impervious surface and shall comply with applicable requirements for public sidewalks. Roads and walkways shall be illuminated as required for streets.

The minimum right-of-way for one lane roadway with no parking shall be twenty (20) feet. The minimum right-of-way for two lane roadways with no parking shall be thirty (30) feet. An additional eight (8) foot right-of-way shall be provided for parking on any roadway.

For MHRU developments, the minimum back-up distances for perpendicular spaces, as depicted in §34 of these regulations, may be reduced to twenty four (24) feet, if approved by the P&Z Commission.

Exterior lighting shall be provided and maintained by the property owner at all access points to streets, parking areas, building entrances and elsewhere for the safety of vehicular and pedestrian traffic. All exterior lighting shall be low-level except for required street lights. The glare from light sources shall be shielded from roads and abutting properties.

Refuse collection areas shall be provided and conveniently located for all units. The collection areas shall be properly screened and supplied with covered receptacles.

Mail boxes shall be provided and conveniently located for all units. The mail boxes shall be covered from the elements.

Mobile Home Lots: The total number of Mobile Home Lots shall not exceed eight (8) individual unit lots per gross acre in the Park excluding the access way as per §16-3.

Mobile Home Replacement Units (MHRU) The total number of Mobile Home Replacement Units (MHRUs) allowed shall not exceed the number of existing Mobile Home Units and Mobile Home Unit Spaces in the Park to be converted, or the total number of Mobile Home Lots permitted under §16-2.1.1, whichever is greater. On sites where not less than 65% of the total units are affordable to families earning not more than 80% of the State Median Income and not less than an additional 15% of the total units are affordable to families earning not more than 60% of the State Median Income, density may be increased, not to exceed twenty (20) units or forty (40) bedrooms per gross acre. The total aggregate number of mobile home units permitted on all MHP sites shall not exceed 180 cumulative mobile home units under these MHPD regulations. New units must qualify for moratorium points pursuant to CGS 8-30g.

Usable Open Space: At least 150 square feet of usable open space shall be provided in the Park for each mobile home lot. Where MHRUs are proposed, there shall be no diminution of existing open space, except on sites where not less than 80% of the units are affordable to families earning not more than 80% of the State Median Income, where at least 150 square feet of usable open space for each MHRU shall be required.

An Office for operation of the Park.

Services exclusively for the residents of the park, such as laundry facilities, not to exceed 5,000 square feet of building area.

Tennis courts, swimming pools, and other similar recreation facilities, buildings and structures.

Uses customarily accessory to a permitted mobile home unit, subject to the provisions of §32-7, herein.

Unless used for the purposes described in 16-2.1.4 through 16-2.1.6 above, accessory buildings or structures shall not exceed 300 square feet of gross floor area nor one story in height.

No accessory building or structure shall include any activity conducted for gain or profit.