(A) Screening.
(1) All commercial or industrial principal and accessory buildings which are situated within and adjacent to a residential zoning district shall be screened from such district by a wooden wall or fence of not less than 100% opacity and not less than eight feet in height above the level of the residential district property at its boundary. Such wall or fence shall be set back from the property line at least five feet. In the setback area shall be planted a combination of coniferous and deciduous plants and, possibly, vines in order to soften the appearance of the fence or wall from the affected residential area.
(2) Walls or fences of lesser heights or planting screens may be permitted by the Planning Commission if there is a finding that the nature or extent of the use being screened is such that a lesser degree of screening will adequately promote and protect the use and enjoyment of the properties within the adjacent residential district, or there is a finding that a screening of the type required by this code would interfere with the provision of adequate amounts of light and air to the residential properties.
(3) All required screening devices shall be designed so that they are architecturally harmonious with the principal structures on the site and they shall be properly maintained so as to not become unsightly, hazardous, or less opaque than when originally constructed.
(B) Landscaping.
(1) All exposed ground areas surrounding or within a principal or accessory use including street boulevards which are not devoted to drives, sidewalks, patios, or other such uses shall be landscaped. All landscaped areas shall be kept neat, clean, and uncluttered. No landscaped area shall be used for the parking of vehicles or of the storage or display of materials, supplies, or merchandise.
(2) Landscaping shall include:
(a) Tree planting at the rate of at least one tree per 800 square feet of landscaping area;
(b) A combination of berming and tree planting; and
(c) Berming with low ground cover (slopes shall be no greater than one foot in elevation per three horizontal feet).
(3) The minimum size of planted trees shall be two inches caliper for deciduous trees and six feet in height for coniferous trees.
(C) Outdoor storage and displays.
(1) Open storage in industrial or commercial district buildings shall be allowed only with a conditional use permit. All other storage shall be maintained within an enclosed building or structure.
(2) All materials, by-products, supplies, merchandise, or other similar matter not on display for direct sale, rental, or lease to the consumer or user shall be stored within a completely enclosed building or within the confines of a 100% opaque wall or fence no less than five feet tall or other buffering approved by the Planning Commission. Merchandise which is offered for sale as described heretofore may be displayed beyond the confines of a building only upon application to the City Council for special temporary permission and only following agreement to all conditions which may be attached to such authorization.
(Prior Code, § 151.095) (Ord. 149, passed 3-9-1998)