(A) General.
(1) Screening and buffering shall be used to provide visual and noise separation of more intensive uses from less intensive uses.
(2) Fences, hedges, walls and other landscaping shall be located entirely upon the property which they serve. Fences, hedges, walls and other landscaping obstructing a utility or drainage easement or extending beyond the legal property boundary may be removed at the owner’s expense.
(3) Screening shall be provided alongside side and rear property boundaries between nonresidential uses and residential uses. Screening for new construction shall consist of the following:
(a) The buffer area abutting the residential use must meet the width shown in the table below:
BUFFER REQUIREMENTS TABLE
| ||
Uses | Zoning District of Subject Property | Minimum Buffer Width |
5+ unit Residential, Institutional, Business, Mixed-Use | R-1, R-1A, R-2, R-3, R-C | 10 feet |
Institutional, Business, Mixed-Use | C-1, C-2, C-3 | 15 feet |
Institutional, Business, Industrial | I-1, I-2 | 20 feet |
(b) The buffer area must contain a solid wall, opaque, commercial-grade fence, or hedge with year-round foliage, between six and eight feet in height. Screening within the front yard or corner side yard is limited to four feet in height. Height of screening shall be measured from the natural or approved grade.
(c) If the buffer area contains a hedge, the hedge shall be landscaped as a linear planting of closely spaced evergreen trees or shrubs maintained to form a dense, continuous barrier or boundary measuring at least six feet in height at maturity.
(d) The buffer area may be interrupted for necessary pedestrian or vehicular access.
(e) Screen plantings shall be permanently maintained by the owner of the property and any plant materials which do not live shall be replaced within six months.
(B) Site elements to be screened. The following site elements shall be screened in compatibility with the design elements, materials and colors used elsewhere on the site as follows:
(1) Refuse disposal areas.
(a) All refuse and recycling containers in all commercial, industrial, multi-family, or mixed-use zoning areas shall be screened on four sides (including a gate for access) by a solid, commercial-grade wood fence, wall or equivalent material that is architecturally compatible with the principal structure and has a height of between six feet and eight feet.
(b) Refuse enclosures shall be subject to the following:
1. A three foot setback is required to any lot line;
2. Shall include a durable gate system that remains closed when not in use; and
3. Shall allow for easy access by refuse and recycling contractors.
(2) Loading areas. Loading areas shall be screened from abutting residential uses and from street view to the extent feasible. Screening along district boundaries, where present, may provide all or part of the required screening.
(3) Mechanical equipment. All rooftop and ground level mechanical equipment and utilities shall be fully screened from view from any street or residential district, as viewed from six feet above ground level. Screening may consist of a building wall or fence and/or landscaping as approved by the Zoning Administrator.
(4) Off-street parking areas. Those parking areas for five or more vehicles if adjoining a residential use shall be screened from such use by a solid wall, fence, evergreen planting of equivalent visual density or other effective means, built and maintained at a minimum height of five feet. Where a solidly constructed decorative fence is provided along the interior lot line, the minimum setback for the parking area shall be five feet from said lot line. Said fence shall be located a minimum of one foot from the said lot line.
(Ord. 879, passed 10-28-2020; Ord. 3.2-24, passed 3-13-2024)