Planning commission adopts new development-code standards for mobile-home parks, RV parks and campgrounds

The Twentynine Palms Planning Commission unanimously approved a set of development-code updates that revise how mobile-home parks, recreational-vehicle (RV) parks and commercial campgrounds are regulated in the city.

The commission approved staff's recommendation with several changes the commissioners made during a lengthy discussion that ranged over lot sizes, space/density limits, landscaping buffers, trash enclosures and minimum amenities. Commissioners voted to approve the staff recommendation by roll-call vote; Commissioners Garcia, Cruciat, Pahana, Vice Chair Keur and Chair Walker all voted "aye." The item will be forwarded to the City Council for its consideration.

Key standards the commission adopted or confirmed during debate:

- Mobile-home parks: the commission agreed to raise the maximum density to 12 spaces per acre and to eliminate the fixed "space size" dimension in the draft (staff had proposed a 40-by-100-foot space in an earlier draft). The change removes a prescriptive space-size standard and leaves density as the upper bound, with site design requirements to be evaluated through the conditional-use process.

- RV parks: commissioners set a 5-acre minimum lot size and standardized maximum density at 12 spaces per acre across allowable zones for clarity and consistency. The commission retained a 10-foot landscape buffer along street frontages and a 6-foot screening fence requirement around development areas; it also adopted a 50-foot setback from property lines for permanent buildings and the developed RV stalls.

- Commercial campgrounds (tent and related overnight camping): commissioners set a 5-acre minimum lot size and selected a maximum density of 15 spaces per acre for campgrounds after discussion about what would be commercially viable for developers. Campgrounds are subject to the same 10-foot landscape buffer and 6-foot screening around development areas, a 50-foot setback from property lines, and trash-enclosure requirements.

- Trash enclosures: the commission confirmed a standard of three trash enclosures per five acres for RV parks and campgrounds (with adjustments possible in the conditional-use review if the applicant demonstrates individual unit trash service). For mobile-home parks the commission agreed on two enclosures for parcels under five acres and three for five acres or larger, with a carve-out when individual-unit trash pick-up is provided.

- Restrooms and waste disposal: the commission reaffirmed that permanent restroom facilities and sanitary waste disposal are required for special-occupancy parks; staff pointed to the code requirement of at least 1 toilet and 1 shower per 25 spaces for such facilities.

During public comment, several residents urged the commission to prioritize affordable housing access and to avoid rules that would make projects financially infeasible. Brandon Burdett, who described himself as a Twentynine Palms community member, said he ran into contradictory jurisdictional guidance when trying to install a manufactured home older than 10 years on private property and asked the commission to consider clarity for manufactured-home installations. Real-estate broker and part-time resident Scott Curry urged the commission to be "open minded on anything you can do to promote development" and warned that investors consider density when deciding whether a mobile-home park can pencil out. A resident who submitted a letter, Susan Peplow, told the commission she favored smaller lot sizes to make development more commercially viable. Another resident who spoke during public comment urged the commission to consider the cost of requiring multiple ADA-compliant trash enclosures, saying "building 3 trash enclosures for 5 acres seems excessive to me ... tens of thousands of dollars for each one." Commissioner discussion repeatedly balanced public concerns about affordability with design, sanitation and public-safety requirements.

Staff told the commission there are 13 special-occupancy parks in Twentynine Palms today, only one of which is an RV park; existing mobile-home-park sizes in the city range from about 1.5 acres to just under 10 acres and existing densities vary from roughly 4 to 16 spaces per acre. Staff also noted the single existing RV park is roughly 16 acres and has a mixed RV/mobile-home configuration that would be treated as a unique/variant case under the new standards.

The commission asked staff to forward the revised development-code amendments to the City Council for its review and possible adoption. Because the code changes will affect future applications for mobile-home parks, RV parks and campgrounds, applicants will still be required to meet public-improvement and conditional-use findings and could seek variances where justified.