A. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to promote the available housing opportunities for the present and future residents of Visalia by the establishment of policies and development standards for the planned mobile home parks. The development standards for the planned mobile home parks will further encourage the creation of stable, attractive, residential environments within the individual mobile home parks themselves and provide for a desirable transition or buffer to the surrounding areas.
B. Definitions.
"Mobile home" means a structure exceeding eight feet in width and forty (40) feet in length, having a chassis and designed to be movable, with kitchen, bathroom and living facilities, designed for use as a single-family dwelling unit when connected to appropriate utility lines, and has no foundation other than wheels or temporary stabilizing units. Smaller units can be considered as a mobile home if it is a long-term (greater than thirty (30) days) installation.
"Mobile home park" means any parcel, or contiguous parcels of land under single ownership designed or intended to be used to accommodate mobile homes on a permanent or semi-permanent basis regardless of whether or not a charge is made for such accommodations.
"Mobile home site" means any portion of a mobile home park designated for the occupancy of one mobile home and approved on-site structures in connection with such occupancy.
"Travel trailer" means any vehicle that at no time exceeds eight feet in width at its widest point and is less than forty (40) feet in length at its longest point, and is designed for human habitation whether self-propelled or drawn by a motor vehicle, which is intended for permanent or semi-permanent use and that has no foundation other than wheels and temporary stabilizing units.
C. Supplemental Regulations. The provisions of this section shall be considered supplemental to applicable state regulations and to other pertinent city ordinances. Where this section, and such regulations and other ordinances do not control, the provisions of the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development's Mobile Home Court Development Guide, FHA G 4200.7, January 1970, or successor documents thereto, shall be used by the city as "minimum standards" guide to administrative decisions regarding mobile home park developments.
D. Permitted Uses.
1. Mobile homes for single-family dwelling use;
2. Common recreation facilities and structure;
3. Administrative offices for mobile home park use only;
4. Accessory uses normally incidental to mobile home park.
E. Prohibitions.
1. Mobile homes, other than those being offered for sale in properly zoned commercial areas, when occupied, shall be located only within approved mobile home parks or in existing mobile home parks that are nonconforming uses.
2. Travel trailers shall not be located or occupied in mobile home parks except as hereinafter specified.
3. Commercial activities, except the initial sale of mobile homes, whether or not appurtenant to the operation of a mobile home park, shall not be permitted in mobile home parks.
4. No more than one mobile home shall be allowed on each mobile home site.
F. Required Permit.
1. All planned mobile home parks shall be subject to design review and a conditional use permit, pursuant to Chapter 17.38 of the code shall be granted prior to the commencement of construction of any mobile home parks.
2. Application for a conditional use permit of a planned mobile home park shall be accompanied by the following information:
a. A complete plot plan showing all physical features of the proposed mobile home park site and adjacent public streets and areas;
b. A complete storm drainage plan providing for the ultimate disposal of storm water showing on-site facilities and off-site storm lines;
c. A complete sanitary sewer plan for the entire and individual mobile home sites, including all off-site lines and, where necessary, left stations, adequate to serve the proposed development;
d. A complete water source and distribution plan for the entire mobile home park;
e. A complete plot plan of sites, landscaping, parking areas, access, recreation and storage areas.
G. Development Standards.
1. Mobile Home Park Locational Factors.
a. The park shall not be exposed to objectionable smoke, dust, noise, odors or other adverse influences, and no portion of the site shall be subject to predictable sudden flooding or erosion.
b. The park shall be placed in areas that are zoned for residential purposes only to assure that mobile home residents can enjoy the same safeguards from conflicting land uses (i.e., industry, service commercial, etc.) as could residents located adjacent to this form of residential categories.
c. The park shall be evaluated for its impact upon adjacent land uses. The adverse impacts such as overcrowding the educational facilities, neighborhood and the public recreational facilities must be avoided.
d. Mobile home parks shall be served by existing community sewer and water systems. The development of such parks with individual water and sewer systems will not be permitted.
e. All mobile home park entrances and exits shall have direct access to a collector street as shown on the approved streets and highways plan. Secondary access to mobile home parks could be permitted by the planning commission from local streets.
2. Mobile Home Park Size and Density.
a. The minimum area for a mobile home park development shall be ten acres. However, it shall not exceed forty (40) acres per development. This would allow up to two hundred forty (240) mobile homes per development.
b. The maximum gross density shall be that of the underlying Zone District.
3. Setbacks.
a. Mobile Home Park.
Front yard: twenty-five (25) feet;
Side yard: twenty-five (25) feet;
Rear yard: twenty-five (25) feet.
b. Individual Mobile Home Lot.
Front yard: ten feet;
Side yard: five feet;
Rear yard: five feet.
c. No mobile home shall be located in any required yard space except that tow bars may extend into such yard space and covered porches or patios may extend not more than one-half the distance into a required side yard.
d. Required mobile home park yards shall be fully landscaped, sprinklered and maintained, in accord with landscape plans to be submitted and approved with conditional use permit applications.
e. No travel trailer or boat shall be stored in any required yard area or elsewhere on any mobile home site.
f. Mobile home sites shall be so designed, the mobile homes so placed, as to maintain fifteen (15) feet side to side, ten feet corner to corner, and ten feet end to end clearances.
4. Patios and Pads.
a. Each mobile home site shall have a hard surfaced patio area of concrete not less than two hundred (200) square feet in area. Any permanent porch greater than fifteen (15) square feet in area shall be counted as part of the required patio area.
b. Each mobile home site shall have a mobile home support pad consisting of a dust-free surface over a base adequate to support the mobile home. Said spaces shall be kept free of obstacles such as porches and storage sheds.
c. Individual mobile home sites shall be a minimum of two thousand six hundred (2,600) square feet.
d. No mobile home site shall be less than thirty (30) feet in width.
5. Parking.
a. Not less than one guest parking space shall be provided at a central location or locations for each four mobile home sites.
b. Adequate parking in accord with Chapter 17.34 of the zoning ordinance shall be provided for central recreation buildings, mobile home park offices, and similar approved facilities.
c. Supplemental parking for pleasure boats, non-occupied travel trailers and other uses shall be provided at a ratio of one space to each ten mobile home sites. Said parking shall be clustered and shall be screened from view by means of solid fence and/or landscaping.
d. All parking areas shall be constructed and maintained in accord with Section 17.32.030.
e. Parking in the rear is encouraged as a good design feature.
f. All parking areas shall have a minimum of ten percent of landscaping with no more than eight parking stalls prior to installation of an eighty (80) square foot landscaped island.
6. Private Streets.
a. Entrance streets shall be located not less than one hundred fifty (150) feet from public street intersections and the location and design thereof shall be approved by the city. Entrance streets, and other collector streets within the mobile home park shall be not less than thirty-six (36) feet minimum width.
b. All other streets within the mobile home park shall be of thirty (30) feet minimum width.
c. Cul-de-sacs shall be a maximum of six hundred (600) feet in length with a fully paved turnaround at the end of eighty (80) feet minimum diameter.
d. Parking shall be permitted on both sides of entrance and collector streets and on only one side of other streets, and shall be so signed. Such parking may be calculated in total mobile home parks or individual mobile home property requirements.
e. Streets shall be designed in accord with the current structural cross section requirements for the city subdivision streets, except that widths shall be as per this code section and concrete center gutters of not less than twenty-four (24) inches width and such greater width as may be determined by the city to be necessary to carry storm drainage may be substituted for standard curb and gutter.
f. Driveways for individual sites and to community areas shall be improved as prescribed in Section 17.34.030.
7. Lighting.
a. Public right-of-way lighting, with underground wiring, shall be provided abutting mobile home parks, with a minimum installation of one seven thousand (7,000) lumen ornamental pole electrolier at the park entrance, one at any abutting public street intersection, and/or one at each three hundred thirty (330) foot interval along park street borders.
b. Interior park lighting, with underground service shall provide for all interior streets.
8. Storm Drainage.
a. Mobile home parks shall pay a storm drainage fee per acre equivalent to that charged for multi-family developments.
b. The mobile home park application shall be accompanied by a complete drainage plan, including proposed ultimate disposal, and the city will review same for conformity with drainage master plans for the area.
c. Maintenance of all mobile park drainage facilities shall be the responsibility of the developer. Underground and pump facilities shall be built to current city subdivision standards.
9. Sanitary Sewers.
a. All mobile home parks shall be connected to the city sanitary sewer system and shall pay sewer fees per acre equivalent to that charged for multi-family development.
b. All sanitary sewers in mobile home park streets shall be designed in full accord with current city public sewer standards, except that the city engineer may approve six inch mains not to exceed two hundred (200) feet in length with clean outs at the end of such six inch mains in lieu of holes.
c. All sewer laterals to individual mobile home sites shall comply fully with applicable city codes for single-family residential dwelling connections.
10. Water System.
a. All mobile home parks shall be served by a central water supply system approved by the city.
b. All water system design shall meet the standards prescribed by the city fire chief as required to maintain Class IV fire rating requirements, including line sizes, pressures, standby pumps and/or well supplies, storage and fire hydrant specifications and placement. All required fire hydrants shall be installed and paid for by the developer within the park and on adjacent public rights-of-way.
11. Undergrounding. All public utilities shall be installed underground, including electrical supply, telephone, street lighting cable, community antenna TV and ducting provision for cable television. A community TV antenna shall be provided; usage of individual antenna on each mobile home will not be permitted.
12. Street Name Signs. Approved street names and street name signs shall be provided and maintained at each in-park street intersection and at each entrance to a public street.
13. Utility Connections. All required conditions, including paving, landscaping, street signs, etc., shall be completed prior to connection to a sanitary sewer for any mobile home park or site therein.
14. Other Facilities.
a. Each mobile home park shall have a laundry building for clothes washing and drying. A yard area may be provided adjacent to said building for clothes hanging, and shall, if provided, be screened with a six-foot masonry wall.
b. The park owner shall utilize city approved disposal bins for disposal of all solid waste. Locations of disposal bins shall be shown on the site plan and approved by the city. Common outdoor garbage collection areas shall be screened with a six-foot-high masonry fence and shall be located as not to cause traffic hazard.
c. No in-park commercial facilities, including the sale of convenience goods, will be allowed except for vending machines sales that may be permitted in central recreation or management areas only.
15. Miscellaneous Regulations.
a. Open irrigation ditches within or adjoining to a mobile home park shall be piped or fenced in accord with this ordinance code.
b. No permanent shed other than storage shed, mobile home porch and steps or temporary sunscreen or windscreen shall be erected on any mobile home site.
c. All mobile homes shall be fitted with appropriate metal or screen block skirts obscuring stands at the time of placement on the site.
d. The maximum permitted height of any structure or mobile home shall be thirty (30) feet.
e. All pertinent state and city regulations concerning the development and operation of mobile home parks shall be observed.
(Ord. 2017-13 (part), 2017: Ord. 2017-01 (part), 2017: prior code § 7480)