ZONING AMENDMENT
By Gretchen Abendschein
Article Two on the Town Warrant is a proposed amendment to the Acworth Zoning Ordinance which would prohibit mobile home parks.
On September 30, 2009 the Planning Board held a Public Hearing to take comments from residents of Acworth regarding the provision for mobile home parks currently in Acworth’s Zoning Ordinance. The consensus of those present at the hearing was that they would like the option to vote on an amendment which would remove the provision for mobile home parks from our zoning ordinance.
The proposed amendment concerns only mobile home parks, not individual mobile homes or manufactured housing. Our zoning allows the same rights and opportunities to mobile homes and manufactured housing in the rural district as other forms of housing.
One of the findings in the data collected through the Housing and Conservation Planning Program in Acworth is that just under 60% of our housing is considered workforce, or affordable, housing. This data is based on very specific state guidelines regarding income levels in Sullivan County. This means that according to state guidelines we are not required to have a provision for mobile home parks in Acworth.
Also included in Article Two is an amendment to incorporate the state language in our definition of mobile homes/manufactured housing. The current definition in the Acworth Zoning Ordinance is significantly outdated.
The proposed changes to the Acworth Zoning Ordinance do not appear on the Town Warrant. For your convenience, the zoning amendment is included below. (Changes appear in bold type)
Amend Article III General Provisions as follows:
Section F, Trailers and Mobile Homes, item 3: Add to the final sentence the phrase noted in bold typeface so that it reads "Said permit shall be granted only when the Board has been satisfied that the use will conform to the requirements of this Article, Section C, and that the provisions for lot size for each dwelling unit in Article V have been met, except in the case of a nonconforming lot under Article IX, Section A."
Section F, Trailers and Mobile Homes: Delete item 4 and replace with a new item 4:
4. Mobile Home Parks, as defined by this ordinance, are prohibited in all zoning districts.
Amend Article V Rural District as follows:
Section B. Land Standards 3. Principal Buildings and Uses: Add the phrases "mobile home" and "installed" to the first sentence to read "With subdivision approval from the Planning Board, a second dwelling, mobile home, or other principal use or principal building may be constructed/installed on a lot provided that the lot area and lot frontage are twice the minimum required for the district."
Amend Article XVI Definitions as follows:
Section G Mobile Home: Replace with a new Section G:
G. Mobile Home (manufactured housing) means any structure, transportable in one or more sections, which in the traveling mode is 8 body feet or more in width and 32 body feet or more in length and which is built on a permanent chassis and designed to be used as a dwelling unit, with or without a permanent foundation when connected to required utilities, which include plumbing, heating and electrical heating systems contained therein.
Copies of these proposed changes to the Acworth Zoning Ordinance will also be available at the Town Hall on Election Day, March 9.
