Park grounds shall be maintained free of vegetative
growth which may harbor rodents or insects or other pests harmful
to man.
The area between ground level and the perimeter
of the mobile home shall be enclosed by means of a skirting of wood,
aluminum or other similar material.
Off-street parking shall be provided in accordance
with Article XVIII of the Zoning Ordinance and the construction requirements for parking areas as
stipulated in this Subdivision and Land Development Chapter.
Adequate provisions shall be made in the mobile
home park for lighting of the streets. Lighting facilities for parking
areas and any other deemed necessary for the safety and convenience
to the mobile home park residents shall be required. All lighting
facilities shall be so designed and arranged in a manner which will
protect the highway and neighboring properties, whether contiguous
or not, from unreasonable glare or hazardous interference of any kind.
All provisions, regulations and procedures provided
in this East Norriton Township Subdivision and Land Development Chapter
shall apply to mobile home parks, and no such park shall be opened
or constructed without full compliance with same. In addition thereto,
the following regulations shall apply:
A. Site design.
(1) Arrangement of structures and facilities. The tract,
including mobile home stands, patios, other dwellings and structures,
and all tract improvements shall be organized in relation to topography,
the shape of the plot and the shape, size and position of structures
and common facilities. Special attention shall be given to new mobile
home designs and to common appurtenances that are available.
(2) Adaptation to tract assets. Each mobile home unit
or other dwelling or structure shall be fitted to the terrain with
a minimum disturbance of the land and a minimum elevation difference
between the floor level of the unit and the ground elevation under
it. Existing trees and shrubs, rock formations, streams, floodplains,
steep slopes and other natural features of the tract shall be preserved
to the maximum extent practical. Favorable views shall be emphasized
by the plan.
(3) Courts and spaces. Groups or clusters of units so
placed as to create interior spaces and courtyards shall be incorporated
whenever feasible.
(4) Orientation. Mobile homes are encouraged to be arranged
in a variety of orientations and are strongly encouraged to have many
units with their long sides facing the street rather than their ends,
in order to provide variety and interest. Site layout shall be designed
to ensure that mobile home units are offset to block long uninterrupted
vistas between the units.
B. Common open space. In addition to the requirements
of the East Norriton Township Zoning Ordinance, the following regulations shall also apply:
(1) Arrangement. The common space shall be designed as
a contiguous area unless the applicant demonstrates to the satisfaction
of the East Norriton Township Board of Supervisors that two or more
separate areas would be preferable. The open space shall also have
easily identifiable pedestrian and visual accessibility to all residents
of the mobile home development, although all units do not have to
abut the common open space.
C. Buffers.
(1) General requirements. Along all exterior property boundary lines except those which abut another mobile home development, there shall be a permanent buffer at least 10 feet in depth, unless this is waived pursuant to Subsection
C(4) below. A screen buffer (as defined herein) shall be provided wherever the mobile home development abuts existing residential uses, with the exception of high-rise structures, and where abutting other types of uses when deemed necessary by the East Norriton Township Board of Supervisors to provide sufficient buffering and transition. A softening buffer (as defined herein) shall be provided wherever the mobile home development abuts existing high-rise residential uses, existing commercial, office, industrial and institutional uses; any existing street [as modified by Subsection
C(3) below], drive or parking area; or open (not wooded) undeveloped land. An open buffer shall be provided wherever the mobile home development abuts wooded, undeveloped land or where more extensive buffers are deemed unnecessary by the East Norriton Township Board of Supervisors.
(2) Components. The minimum component of each type of
buffer shall be as follows:
(a)
Screen buffer. The primary components of a screen
buffer shall be a row of evergreen trees, at a height of not less
than six feet when planted, spaced not more than 10 feet apart on
center, and these trees shall be of such species to attain a height
of maturity of not less than 20 feet. Also required as a secondary
component of the buffer is one of the following: mounding (the use
of which is encouraged), provided that the slopes shall be a maximum
of three-to-one, visually opaque fencing not greater than six feet
in height and coniferous shrubbery. Any combination of evergreen trees,
coniferous shrubs, mounding, fencing or other natural vegetation or
man-made materials is allowable, provided that an effective visual
screen at least 15 feet in height above the adjacent ground elevation
in the mobile home development is achieved within a reasonable time.
But whenever only vegetation is used, there shall be at least a double
row of evergreen trees, with the trees in one row offset five feet
from the trees in the other row and the rows at least five feet apart.
(b)
Softening buffer. The primary component of a
softening buffer shall be a row of trees, spaced not more than 25
feet apart on center, at least 25% of which shall be evergreens. The
evergreen trees shall be at least six feet in height when planted
and shall attain at least 20 feet in height at maturity. Any deciduous
trees shall be at least 1 1/2 inches in caliper and eight feet
in height when planted and shall attain a height of not less than
20 feet at maturity. These trees shall be interspersed with other
allowable components, including any other type of trees, shrubs, mounding,
fencing and/or similar natural or man-made elements having a visible
vertical dimension, or any combination thereof.
(c)
Open buffer. The open buffer shall, as a minimum,
consist of grass, ground cover and/or similar vegetative material
and may include trees, shrubs or other natural or man-made landscaping
materials, but it shall be mostly vegetative with minimal paved areas,
if any.
(3) Street boundaries. Rather than the extensive buffers described in Subsection
C(2) above, the use of a single row of deciduous trees at least eight feet in height when planted and at least 20 feet in height at maturity, with a spacing of not more than 40 feet on center, may be provided along all property boundaries which abut a street, wherever necessary for adequate sight distance or where the East Norriton Township Board of Supervisors determines this to be a sufficient buffer to protect the welfare and safety of the community.
(4) Existing buffers. In cases where an edge(s) of a development
occurs along natural features which function as buffers, including
but not limited to mature vegetation, significant grade changes or
stream valleys, which are likely to be permanently preserved, buffering
may be waived along that edge(s) upon approval of the East Norriton
Township Board of Supervisors.
(5) Maintenance. All vegetation shall be maintained permanently
and, in the event of death or other destruction, shall be replaced
within one year by the persons responsible for maintenance when death
or destruction occurred.
(6) Buffer landscape plan. A landscaping plan shall be
submitted with the final plans, showing all pertinent information,
including the location, size and species of all individual trees and
shrubs to be preserved or planted or, alternately, the general characteristics
of existing vegetation masses which are to be preserved.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
ANCHORING
The fastening of the mobile home to its mobile home stand
in order to prevent upset or damage due to wind, erosion, flooding
or other natural forces.
HITCH
A device which is part of the frame or attaches to the frame
of a mobile home and connects it to a power source for the purpose
of transporting the unit.
MOBILE HOME STAND
That part of an individual lot which has been reserved and
prepared for the placement of the mobile home.