Santa Barbara — Mobilehome & RV Parks

New and Expanded Park Standards

Internal roads must directly reach every space, support safe circulation, be paved to Public Works standards, and have rolled concrete curbs and gutters on both sides. Internal roads and walkways require low-intensity lighting directed away from surrounding residential uses. § 28.94.040.D–E

Along side and rear boundaries, the Planning Commission may modify or waive the 6-ft screening requirement where topography or existing conditions would make it unreasonable or ineffective. Along the front, ornamental planting remains required even if the property does not front a public street; if it does front a street, street trees and parkway planting are also required, with right-of-way plantings approved by the Parks Department. See Santa Barbara Landscaping and Screening for related standards. § 28.94.040.F

Guest parking must meet the ordinance’s cross-referenced parking rules, and each space must provide parking under the further cross-reference in § 28.94.045.I. See Santa Barbara Parking for those cross-referenced requirements. §§ 28.94.040.G, 28.94.045.I

Each space allows only one mobilehome or RV. No obstruction may impede moving the unit or inspecting plumbing and electrical facilities; the underside of each unit must be enclosed with an approved solid skirt. § 28.94.045.D, F, J

Conversion Standards and Resident Protections

A park proposed for conversion to mobilehome or RV condominiums must be upgraded to the standards for newly constructed parks. The Planning Commission may waive or modify those standards only if they cannot or should not reasonably be met and 75% of current residents have expressed written intent to buy the park. § 28.78.030.A

A conversion to an overnight RV park must instead meet the standards in § 28.94.050. The substantive standards of that cross-referenced section are not fully included in the source materials; verify with the jurisdiction. § 28.78.030.B

Before filing, the owner must deliver a notice of intent to convert to every resident at least 60 days before the application. The notice must identify the owner and applicant, anticipated filing, permit, and vacancy dates, resident hearing rights, access to the impact and relocation materials, and other Department-required information. § 28.78.060.A

The application must include a concept plan, an existing-space occupancy map, resident names and addresses, a housing-and-financial impact report, a relocation assistance plan, evidence of notice, and any other information the Community Development Department considers useful. The impact report addresses five years of space rents, two years of monthly vacancies, resident-household characteristics, unit age and size, non-relocatable units, and comparable replacement-space availability. § 28.78.040

A permanent resident is generally someone whose owned unit is their sole residence or who has rented the unit for at least 9 consecutive months. A person who has lived in the park for 1 year or less is excluded if they received written pre-occupancy notice of the owner’s intent to convert. § 28.78.040.E

The applicant’s relocation plan must, at minimum, provide benefits equal to those required by the code’s cross-referenced § 28.88.100. For tenant-focused context, see Santa Barbara Tenant Displacement Assistance. § 28.78.040.E

The Planning Commission must hold a public hearing before approval. Residents receive mailed notice at least 10 days before the hearing, staff reports at least 3 days before a hearing or action, and permanent residents must receive the impact report and relocation plan at least 15 days before the hearing. § 28.78.060.B–D

Approval Findings and Building Compliance

The Planning Commission must find that Chapter 28.78 is satisfied and the conversion will not harm the City’s health, safety, or general welfare; it may not consider the conversion’s impact on the City’s affordable-housing stock when making that finding. § 28.78.070.A

For a subdivision conversion, increased low-to-moderate-cost ownership opportunities must outweigh the loss of rental opportunities. A condominium conversion must conform to the Municipal Code in force at approval, subject to Chapter 28.78’s stated exceptions. § 28.78.070.B–C

The owner must make reasonable efforts to mitigate significant adverse effects on permanent residents’ ability to find adequate park space, or provide other reasonable and comparable relocation assistance when space is unavailable. In certain parks with a majority of low- and moderate-income permanent residents, the City Redevelopment Agency must first receive and decline—or fail to act within 180 days on—a fair-market-value purchase offer, unless the stated income-information waiver applies. § 28.78.070.D–E

The Commission must also find no coercive conduct toward residents after the first City-review application through approval. Relevant conduct includes rent increases above the specified CPI measure unless preexisting agreements allow them, and actions intended to deter resident opposition. § 28.78.070.F

On the date of a conversion’s change of use, permanent buildings must comply with applicable exit, occupancy, height, and area requirements under the locally adopted California Building Standards Code and other applicable laws. § 28.78.070.H

Checklist

• Confirm that the proposal is a conversion of two or more rented or offered-for-rent mobilehome or RV spaces, rather than a park-rule change. § 28.78.010
• For a new or expanded park, confirm the site is in a zone allowing residential uses and is not in a City-designated high fire hazard area or landmark district. § 28.94.035
• Obtain a conditional use permit for a new or expanded park. § 28.94.035
• Demonstrate a site area of at least 2 acres and compliance with the zone’s residential density, setbacks, and open-space standards. §§ 28.94.040.A–C, 28.94.045.G
• Design roads, lighting, perimeter screening, front planting, guest parking, and laundry facilities to the applicable park standards. § 28.94.040.D–H
• Design each new space for the required extra dimensions, 3-ft side and 5-ft front/rear setbacks, 60% maximum coverage, pad, patio, parking, and skirting. § 28.94.045
• Deliver the intent-to-convert notice to every resident at least 60 days before filing and retain delivery evidence. § 28.78.060.A
• Submit the concept plan, occupancy site plan, resident list, impact report, relocation plan, notice evidence, and other required information. § 28.78.040
• Deliver the impact report and relocation plan to permanent residents at least 15 days before the public hearing. § 28.78.060.D
• Establish the required Planning Commission findings, including relocation, anti-coercion, notice, and building-compliance findings. § 28.78.070
• Meet all approval conditions and applicable laws before the Chief of Building and Zoning issues the conversion permit. § 28.78.020

Risks & Ambiguities

Plain-English Summary

In Santa Barbara, a new or expanded mobilehome or permanent RV park needs a conditional use permit, at least 2 acres, and compliance with the underlying residential zone’s density, setbacks, and open space. Closing or repurposing an existing park is much more than a redevelopment application: it triggers notice, resident-impact and relocation materials, a public hearing, and specific Planning Commission findings. §§ 28.94.035, 28.94.040, 28.78.040, 28.78.060, 28.78.070

Source References

• § 28.78.010 — conversion permit requirement and definition of conversion.
• § 28.78.020 — issuance, revocation, and expiration of conversion permits.
• § 28.78.030 — physical standards for condominium and overnight RV park conversions.
• § 28.78.040 — conversion application requirements and relocation assistance plan.
• § 28.78.050 — written Community Development Department approval of reports and documents.
• § 28.78.060 — conversion notice, hearing, staff-report, and resident-delivery requirements.
• § 28.78.070 — required findings for a conversion permit.
• § 28.87.180 — RV residential use and limited overnight RV parking exceptions.
• § 28.94.035 — location and conditional-use-permit rule for new or expanded parks.
• § 28.94.040 — new and expanded park standards.
• § 28.94.045 — mobilehome and permanent RV space standards.
• § 28.15.040 — locations allowed for mobilehomes on one-family residential lots.