(A) Generally. This section provides screening standards, including fences and walls, for the separation of adjoining residential and nonresidential land uses and screening standards for mechanical equipment, outdoor storage, and refuse containers.
(B) Refuse containers.
(1) Refuse containers, including dumpsters, shall be screened on all sides by the use of a permanent enclosure, with gates for disposal truck access. The enclosure shall be constructed to visibly screen the receptacle from public view and from adjoining properties. The design of the pedestrian access to the receptacle or dumpster shall be designed to minimize the view into the enclosure.
(2) The enclosure shall be landscaped to minimize the visual impact of the enclosure on surrounding properties and public thoroughfares.
(C) Mechanical equipment.
(1) Overhead utilities. All electrical lines less than 30,000 volts must be placed underground, unless a utility provider determines that underground utilities are a safety hazard or impractical in which case this requirement may be waived by the Plan and Zoning Commission.
(2) Ground-mounted. For all new development or redevelopment, all ground-mounted mechanical equipment, including, but not limited to, air-conditioning condensers, heat pumps, ventilation units, computer cooling equipment, and any other related utility structures and equipment that are visible from any adjacent public thoroughfare shall be visibly screened from public view by the use of one of the following approaches:
(a) A screening wall built of materials compatible and consistent with the materials of the principal building;
(b) Landscape plantings of predominantly evergreen type trees and shrubs to provide year-round screening;
(c) Fencing that has at least 80% opacity;
(d) Permanent earth-berming; or
(e) A combination of the above.
(3) Roof-mounted. Equipment must be 100% screened from ground level views at all property lines by structural improvements such as:
(a) Parapet walls with cornice treatments;
(b) Screening walls constructed of materials consistent with the principal building; or
(c) Sloped-roof systems or other architectural elements.
Figure 156.F.005-1 Roof-Mounted Equipment Screening |
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FIGURE NOTES: A = Line of Sight | B = Parapet Wall | C = Screened Area | D = Mechanical Equipment |
(4) Building-mounted. Mechanical equipment that is within public view must be enclosed, screened by opaque fencing or landscaping, or painted to match the building wall.
(D) Outdoor storage. Except for industrial uses that are legally permitted, and uses in the GI district, all outside storage shall be screened from all rights-of-way with a fence or wall at least six feet in height. No outside storage shall be stacked in a way that it becomes visible from the public right-of-way.
(E) Fences and walls. The following requirements apply to fences and walls on residential and mixed-use lots and all fences and walls with a height above average grade of 30 inches in nonresidential districts:
(1) General.
(a) All fences and walls shall not adversely affect the public health, safety, and welfare of the city and shall conform to all applicable building code requirements.
(b) Special fence requirements such as fencing provided around parks, recreation, and school facilities may be erected to a height in excess of the above limits upon approval of the Zoning Administrator.
(c) All required screening walls shall be equally finished on both sides of the wall.
(2) Height. The maximum height of a fence or wall:
(a) Within a visibility triangle shall be two feet (See Subsection 156.B.008.a, Measurements);
(b) Shall be six feet in all residential and mixed-use districts;
(c) Shall be eight feet in nonresidential districts;
(d) Shall be ten feet in the GI district East of 18th Avenue;
(e) Within a required front or corner side yard setback shall be four feet;
(3) Sight distance. No fence, wall, shrubbery, earthen berm, sign, or other obstruction to vision shall be permitted which serves to obstruct vision between a height of two feet and six feet, six inches on any corner lot within a triangle of 20 feet formed by intersecting street right-of-way lines.
(4) Materials.
(a) Non-residential and mixed-use districts. Fence and wall exterior materials and design shall be similar or complementary to the materials and design of the primary structure.
(b) Allowed materials. Materials used for fences and walls shall be durable, and of a character commonly used in residential applications, including:
1. Weather-resistant or finished (painted or stained and sealed) wood;
2. Ornamental wrought iron or powder-coated aluminum (except on fences/walls that are used for required screening purposes);
3. Cement fiberboard;
4. Vinyl;
5. Finished bamboo (stained and sealed);
6. Chain link with a top rail support;
7. Split rail with treated wood;
8. Masonry (brick, stucco-finished concrete, split face concrete masonry units, or stone), but not unfinished concrete block; or
9. Combinations of these materials.
10. Wood, as long as any part of the fence contacts concrete or the ground is treated with preservatives approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or is naturally resistant to decay, such as cedar or redwood. Fasteners and hardware used with treated or decay-resistant wood shall be hot-dipped galvanized, stainless steel, or coated per manufacturers standards for use with such woods.
(c) Limited materials.
1. Used or reclaimed wood or other materials may be used provided they are in good condition and can be reasonably expected to last as long as new materials;
2. Wire mesh fence may be permitted to enclose tennis courts and game and recreation areas on public land and residential lots; or
3. Side or rear yard garden plots may use green garden fence, woven wire or chicken wire; provided, it does not exceed five feet in height using steel posts not exceeding five feet in height.
4. In the GI district, barbed wire cradles facing inward toward the property may be placed on top of fences enclosing public utility buildings or wherever the Zoning Administrator finds that such is necessary to address security interest so long as the extension is no more than one foot.
(d) Prohibited materials. The following materials are not allowed as fence or wall components:
1. Salvaged material or materials not specifically manufactured for fencing, including but not limited to complete or partial pallets, PVC pipe, scrap lumber, plywood, tree branches, tree trunks, sheet metal, trash, tires, junk, entry or garage doors, utility poles, landscape timbers, plastic or fiberglass sheets, spikes, nails, and razors.
2. An electric, razor wire, barbed (except in the GI district, see limitations above in division (E)(4)(c)4.), chicken, woven, snow (except from November 1 through March 31), plastic safety, concrete block, or grapestake fence.
3. Agricultural fence products such as creosote posts, steel posts, wire panels, field fence, high tensile wire, tube gates and similar materials;
4. A fence composed solely of fence posts;
5. Any incomplete fence consisting only of posts and supporting members;
6. Any fence or wall material the Zoning Administrator determines that such structure creates a hazard to users of the street, sidewalk, or to nearby property.
(e) Fence and wall orientation and maintenance.
1. Maintenance. Fences and walls shall be maintained in an upright position (not more than five degrees from vertical orientation), and in good condition (e.g., free of rust, peeling paint or coatings, missing or broken pickets, wood rot, and graffiti).
2. Orientation. The finished side of all fences shall face out toward neighboring property or adjacent rights-of-way. Where fences are located on the property line of residential property, the finished side of the fence shall face the yard that does not belong to the applicant, unless the applicant provides to the city written consent of the abutting property owner.
(F) Obstructions.
(1) No fence, screen, wall, or another visual barrier shall be located or placed to obstruct the vision of a motor vehicle driver approaching within 30 feet of any street intersection.
(2) Where an alley intersects a street, no visual barrier taller than 30 inches may be placed within a sight visibility triangle.
(G) Residential district maximums. In the following residential districts (AG, RR, RL, RM, RH) or along the boundary between a residential and nonresidential district, the following standards apply:
(1) Rear and side yards. No fence or wall shall exceed a height of six feet above grade.
(2) Front yard.
(a) The maximum height of a fence or wall shall not exceed four feet.
(b) Fences in the manufactured home parks shall not exceed a height of four feet.
(3) Corner lot. Where a corner lot is platted with two front yards, and a house is constructed facing one of the front yards, the second front yard shall also be deemed to be a front yard.
(H) Nonresidential and multiple-family uses.
(1) Contiguous to residential. Where a multiple-family or nonresidential use is contiguous to an AG, RL, or RM district, a solid wall, fence or opaque landscape screen of not less than six nor more than eight feet in height shall be erected on or near the property line separating these districts.
(2) Screening dumpsters and storage facilities. Any lot in a commercial or industrial district, with the exception of the UC and MU districts, abutting any residential district shall be required to have adequate screening of dumpsters and storage facilities.
(3) Adjacent to public street. When a side or rear yard of a multiple-family, civic, institutional, commercial, industrial, or mixed-use is adjacent to a public street, a solid wall, fence, or opaque landscape screen of not less than six nor more than eight feet in height shall be erected.
(I) Exceptions to screening requirements. Screening requirements may be waived by the Zoning Administrator if an opaque screening of equivalent height or greater exists immediately abutting, and on the opposite side of the lot line.
(Ord. 15039, passed 4-11-2022)