Mechanical equipment or other utility hardware on roofs, ground, or buildings shall be screened from public view with architectural and/or landscape materials harmonious with the building, or they shall be located so as not to be visible from any public ways.
(a) Roof and building-mounted mechanical equipment
(1) Compatibility. The screening materials surrounding the equipment?should be compatible with building architecture (materials, color, scale, etc.).
(2) Utility hardware. All utility equipment (vents, stacks, gas and water meters, etc.) and associated protective materials (bollards, etc.) should be screened or painted so as to blend in with the roof or building.
(3) Sight line visibility. Mechanical equipment shall be located to minimize the views of the equipment from public sidewalks or roadways. The view of equipment should also take into consideration future development in the surrounding area.
(b) Ground-mounted mechanical equipment: Architectural elements, year-round landscaping if appropriate, or a combination of both, may be used to screen ground mounted mechanical equipment.
(1) Compatibility. Screening materials should be compatible with the building architecture (materials, color, and scale) and with the surrounding landscape. Physical security or screening devices that are placed around ground-mounted mechanical equipment must be similar in scale to the equipment being screened and of a color to minimize the visual impact. Chain-link or exposed metal materials are prohibited.
(2) Plantings. Using a variety of year-round live plant species is ideal when screening equipment. Maintenance of the plant materials used for screening is required. When landscaping is planted, there should be room provided for access to equipment and for plant maintenance. When using landscaping to screen equipment, plants should be arranged with a minimum of 50% opacity at the time of installation. Ideally, the installed plants should grow to fully screen or shield the equipment.
(3) Location. Mechanical equipment shall be located to minimize the views of the equipment from public sidewalks or roadways. The view of equipment should also take into consideration future development in the surrounding area. The preferred location for ground-mounted mechanical equipment shall be in the rear yard. Location in a side yard shall require landscaping or fencing to screen the view of the mechanical equipment from the adjacent property in conformance with Chapter 1264: Fences and Walls.
(Ord. 29-16. Passed 11-15-16.)