§ 7.07.03. Standards for recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds.

Sites in recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds shall be occupied only by recreational vehicles, pickup coaches, park model recreational vehicles, motor homes, camping trailers and other vehicular accommodations suitable for temporary habitation and used for travel, vacation, and recreation purposes. Recreational vehicle parks are commercial enterprises and must comply with all other provisions of this Code relative to nonresidential activities.

A.

Minimum park area. Fifteen acres, provided that the minimum park area is not less than the minimum area as established by the Okeechobee County comprehensive plan, with access from the recreational vehicle park to a county, or state-maintained road. This minimum area applies to all new parks. Existing parks may expand where such an expansion would result in a park that is less than the required minimum park area, provided that all zoning and other applicable regulations are met.

B.

Maximum density of units per gross acre. Fifteen units per acre.

C.

Minimum number of spaces completed and ready for occupancy before first occupancy is permitted. Twenty units.

D.

Streets. Streets may be private streets but shall be constructed in accordance with the standards contained in this article as for public streets.

E.

Access. Entrances and exits to recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds shall be designed for safe and convenient movement of traffic into and out of the park, and to minimize marginal friction with free movement of traffic on adjacent streets. All traffic into or out of the park shall be through such entrances and exits. No entrance or exit shall require a turn at an acute angle for vehicles moving in the direction intended, and radii of curbs and pavements at intersections shall be such as to facilitate easy turning movements for vehicles with trailers attached. No material impediment to visibility shall be created or maintained which obscures the view of an approaching driver in the right lane of the street within (a) 100 feet where speed limit is less than 45 mph or (b) 150 feet where speed limit is 45 mph or more, of any portion of the approach lane of the accessway within 25 feet of its intersection with the righthand lane of the street.

A recreational vehicle park or campground shall be located so that no entrance or exit from a park shall discharge traffic into any residential district, nor require movement or [of] traffic from the park through a residential district. A recreational vehicle park or campground shall have a minimum of 60 feet of frontage on a public street.

F.

Hurricane facilities. All new recreational vehicle parks shall provide adequate on-site hurricane shelter space for all hurricane season residents or the developer may opt to pay a hurricane shelter space impact fee. Any expansion of an existing recreational vehicle park shall provide adequate on-site hurricane shelter space or the developer may opt to pay a hurricane shelter space impact fee as if it were a new park for existing as well as new hurricane season tenants. Prior to receipt of a final development order as described in article XIII of this Code, the developer shall provide the director of planning and development a certification by a professional engineer licensed in the State of Florida that the design of the required hurricane shelter is adequate to meet the needs of existing as well as new park tenants. No permit shall be issued for a recreational vehicle to be placed in a new recreational vehicle park, campground, or subdivision or the new area of an existing recreational vehicle park, campground, or subdivision unless the hurricane facilities required by this subsection are in place.

G.

Utilities.

1.

Overhead or low level street lighting shall be installed.

2.

Each recreational vehicle site shall be provided with an approved type 115-230 volt electric supply outlet or outlets.

3.

Each recreational vehicle site shall be connected to public central water and sewer. No individual water supply or sewage disposal system shall be permitted in any recreational vehicle park.

H.

Utilities easements. Landscaped utilities easements may be provided along the rear of recreational vehicle sites. Such easements, where provided, shall not be less than ten feet in width. No permanent structures other than pedestrian ways, benches, recreational facilities, picnic areas, and lighting systems shall be located within such utilities easements and permitted structures shall be located so as not to impede maintenance of the underground utilities facilities. All utilities shall be located within such easements, if provided, or in easements adjacent to street pavements or in buffer areas as set out in section 7.07.03J.

I.

Accessory uses. Management headquarters, recreational facilities, toilets, showers, coin-operated laundry facilities and other uses and structures customarily incidental to operation of a recreational vehicle park or campground are permitted as accessory uses to the park. In addition, stores, restaurants, laundry and dry cleaning agencies, beauty parlors, barbershops, and other convenience establishments shall be permitted as accessory uses in recreational vehicle parks and campgrounds in districts where such uses are not allowed as principal uses; provided such establishments and the parking areas primarily related to their operations shall not occupy more than five percent of the gross area of the park.

J.

Buffer. A buffer of not less than 25 feet in width shall be provided along streets abutting a recreational vehicle park, and a buffer area not less than 15 feet in depth along other property lines of the recreational vehicle park. Such buffer strips may be used for drainage structures, utilities easements, landscaping and fences but shall not be used for any other purpose. The buffer shall be in addition to any required yards of [or] sites within the park.

K.

Recreational vehicle sites. Each recreational vehicle site or space shall be at least 1,500 square feet in area. Each site or space shall contain at least a four-inch thick stabilized vehicular parking pad of shell, marl, paving, or other suitable material. No part of a recreational vehicle or other unit placed on a recreational vehicle site shall be closer than five feet to a site line. The total structural coverage of a site or space shall not exceed 60 percent of the area of the site. All impervious surfaces shall not exceed 70 percent of the area of the site. See also limitations contained in section 7.08.05.

L.

Procedures. Development shall proceed in accordance with article XIII of this Code.

(Ord. No. 95-1, § 1 (7.07.03A), 6-8-95; Ord. No. 96-03, § 1, 4-11-96; Ord. No. 98-05, § 1, 6-25-98)