Whitpain Township City Zoning Code
ARTICLE XVI
R-9 Residential District
§ 160-93 Legislative intent.
It is hereby declared to be the specific intent of this article to provide for mobile home parks; to ensure the compatibility of proposed mobile home parks with essential utilities and surrounding land uses; to further the general welfare by extending greater opportunities for better and more affordable housing to all present and prospective residents of the Township; to provide for a diversity of housing types and prices; and to encourage mobile home parks that are beneficial to property values and the general welfare of Whitpain Township.
§ 160-94 Permitted uses.
In an R-9 Residential District, a structure may be erected, altered or used and a lot may be used or occupied for any one of the following uses and no other:
A.
Mobile home use in conjunction with a mobile home park.
§ 160-95 Regulations for mobile home parks.
The uses which are permissible in a mobile home development are as follows:
A.
Residential uses. A mobile home park may include mobile homes of single width or multiple width or any combination thereof, but shall not include truck campers, recreational vehicles or motor homes. No mobile home may be occupied before furnishing the Township a copy of the structural engineering bulletin indicating approval by the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development of the dwelling or of the components of the dwelling.
B.
Areas for nonresidential uses.
(1)
No part of any mobile home park shall be used for nonresidential purposes, except such uses as are required for the direct servicing, recreation and well-being of the residents and for the management and maintenance of the development and are not otherwise prohibited by any provision of this article.
(2)
Nothing in this article shall be deemed as prohibiting the rental, sale or resale of a mobile home stand or a mobile home located on a mobile home stand and connected to the pertinent utilities. Similarly, a model or display area is permissible only on a temporary basis, provided that such models or displays are developed in accordance with all applicable regulations of this article and other applicable ordinances and that use of the models or displays for sale or rental promotion ceases when the project is fully developed.
C.
Accessory uses.
(1)
Accessory uses and structures customarily incidental to the maintenance, servicing and well-being of mobile home development residents shall be permitted only as part of an approved development plan for the site.
(2)
(3)
Structures specifically designed by the mobile home manufacturers for enlargement of mobile homes and other additions architecturally compatible with the mobile home may be joined onto the principal dwelling, provided that all requirements of § 160-97 and other applicable ordinances are met. The standards of Part 5, Standards for the Installation of Mobile Homes (ANSI/NFPA Publication No. 501A 1977), Manufactured Housing Institute and National Fire Protection Association, shall be adhered to.
§ 160-96 Development regulations.
The following development regulations shall apply to mobile home parks in this district:
A.
Minimum tract size. Any parcel to be used as a mobile home park must have a minimum developable area of 15 contiguous acres of land.
B.
Maximum density. The total number of lots in a mobile home park shall not exceed a maximum density of four per developable acre.
C.
Setback from tract boundary. No mobile home or other primary building may be located closer than 50 feet to any boundary of a mobile home park regardless of whether that boundary abuts a lot, water body, road or other right-of-way. In the event that a mobile home park abuts another such park, industrial use, commercial use or institutional use, this may be reduced to 35 feet.
[Amended 11-1-1993 by Ord. No. 4-140]
D.
Setback from streets. In no case shall the long side of a mobile home or any side of another primary building be located closer than 32 feet to the ultimate right-of-way line of any public street or to the edge of the cartway or the equivalent right-of-way line, if applicable, of private interior roadways, within a mobile home park; provided, however, that the short side of a mobile home deck, patio, carport or garage may be located no closer to these facilities than 22 feet.
[Amended 11-1-1993 by Ord. No. 4-140; 7-20-1999 by Ord. No. 4-64-1]
E.
Setback from common parking facilities. No mobile home or accessory use shall be located within 25 feet of any common parking area. No mobile home or accessory use shall be located within five feet of any parking stalls on the same mobile home lot.
[Amended 11-1-1993 by Ord. No. 4-140]
F.
Maximum building coverage. The maximum coverage of any individual mobile home lot by all primary and accessory buildings and structures, including covered patios or decks, shall be no greater than 45%.
[Amended 5-2-1988 by Ord. No. 4-103; 11-1-1993 by Ord. No. 4-140; 7-20-1999 by Ord. No. 4-64-1]
G.
Height. No structure built in a Mobile Home Park District shall exceed a height of two stories or a maximum of 32 feet, whichever is greater.
H.
Preservation of natural features. No mobile home or other structure shall be located within an area defined as floodplain by Article XXV of this chapter, nor shall any mobile home be placed on steep-slope land having a natural grade of 15% or greater, nor shall said steep-slope land be graded to a lesser percentage slope for the purpose of accommodating a mobile home.
I.
Common deed-restricted open space. At least 10% of the tract area of the mobile home park must be in common deed-restricted open space as defined herein, no more than 1/3 of which may be required buffer area. The configuration and location of the common deed-restricted open space must be consistent with the requirements of § 129-19, Buffers and landscaping for parking areas.
[Amended 10-18-2022 by Ord. No. 4-260]
§ 160-97 Lot development requirements.
The following development requirements shall apply to mobile home lots in this district:
A.
Lot size. All mobile home lots in a mobile home park shall have a minimum lot size of 5,600 square feet.
[Amended 11-1-1993 by Ord. No. 4-140; 7-20-1999 by Ord. No. 4-64-1]
B.
Lot width. No individual mobile home lot shall be less than 56 feet in width at the building setback line. No individual mobile home lot shall be less than 25 feet in width at the right-of-way line of a public street or the equivalent right-of-way line or the edge of the pavement of a private street, as applicable.
[Amended 11-1-1993 by Ord. No. 4-140; 7-20-1999 by Ord. No. 4-64-1]
C.
Side and rear setbacks. No mobile home may be located closer than 10 feet to any side lot line, except as provided below, or 10 feet to any rear lot line of an individual mobile home lot. No accessory building may be located closer than five feet to any side or 10 feet to any rear lot line of an individual mobile home lot. Long sides of mobile homes, excluding attached garages, carports, decks and patios, shall be separated from each other by a minimum of 28 feet. Short sides or a long and a short side of mobile homes, excluding attached garages, carports, decks and patios, shall be separated from each other by a minimum of 20 feet. Whether or not attached, decks, patios, carports or garages of one mobile home shall be separated from decks, patios or any part of another mobile home by a minimum of 10 feet. Accessory buildings may be located on the lot line if physically joined to each other with a common wall located on the property line.
[Amended 11-1-1993 by Ord. No. 4-140; 7-20-1999 by Ord. No. 4-64-1; 3-7-2000 by Ord. No. 4-169; 2-15-2005 by Ord. No. 4-207]
§ 160-98 Ownership of land.
The tract of land to be developed shall be in one ownership or shall be the subject of an application filed jointly by the owners of the entire tract, and it shall be agreed that the tract will be developed under single direction in accordance with an approved plan.
§ 160-99 Conflict.
It is not intended by this article to repeal, abrogate, annul or interfere with any existing ordinances or enactments or with any rule, regulation or permit adopted or issued thereunder, except insofar as the same may be inconsistent or in conflict with any of the provisions of this article, provided that where this article imposes greater restrictions upon the use of buildings or land or upon the height or bulk of buildings or prescribes larger open spaces than are required by the provisions of such ordinances, enactment, rule, regulation or permit, then the provisions of this article shall control.
§ 160-100 Severability.
The provisions of this article are severable, and if any of its provisions shall be held invalid or unconstitutional, the decision of the court shall not affect or impair any of the remaining provisions of this article. It is hereby declared to be the legislative intent that this article would have been adopted had such invalid or unconstitutional provisions not been included herein.