Conventional-construction homes could be allowed in Mesa RV parks

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

The Mesa City Council should vote to allow recreational vehicle and manufactured home subdivisions to include dwelling units of conventional construction, the Mesa Planning and Zoning Board decided recently.

The board voted 4-0 April 23 to recommend the Mesa City Council approve changes to the zoning ordinance pertaining to manufactured home parks and subdivisions and RV parks and subdivisions. Chair Benjamin Ayers and Boardmembers Jayson Carpenter and Chase Farnsworth were absent.

The planning and zoning board previously discussed the text amendments in November and voted 7-0 to recommend adoption of them, Planner Cassidy Welch said at a study session prior to the meeting.

Since then, a community and cultural development committee discussed the changes, additional public input was sought and new definitions were added for manufactured homes and recreational vehicles to provide further clarity, she said.

“So currently recreational vehicles can include the standard recreational vehicle that you think of ... but it also includes park models, which are technically on a chassis but are a little bit different. So we included that definition amendment as part of this proposed amendment,” Welch said.

“Currently dwelling units of conventional construction are prohibited in manufactured home and RV parks and subdivisions. What we’re noticing is that if these units age out, the residents are looking to update their units or they’re finding that the limited floor plans that are offered with manufactured homes and park models and RVs aren’t really meeting their needs and so there’s an increased demand for conventional construction that offers a little bit more flexibility on floor plans design,” she said.

The text amendments, according to city documents, include:

• Modifying language to add a maximum height requirement for dwelling units of conventional construction;
• Modifying how required yard setbacks in recreational vehicle and manufactured home parks and subdivisions are measured;
• Modifying the definitions of manufactured home, manufactured home lot, manufactured home park, manufactured home subdivision, recreational vehicle accessory structure, recreational vehicle, recreational vehicle lot, recreational vehicle park and recreational vehicle subdivision;
• Adding a definition of recreational vehicle, park model; and
• Minor revisions to emergency parking wording.

The seven-member Planning and Zoning Board conducts hearings and makes recommendations to the city council on requests for changes in zoning and on required site plans. It also considers and recommends changes in the city’s long-range plans and in the municipal code concerning planning and zoning matters. Members are appointed for staggered terms of three years.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.