(a) General requirements. In addition to the other forms of required landscaping, screening shall be required to conceal specific areas of high visual or auditory impact or hazardous areas from adjacent, less intense uses and from views from public rights-of-way. Such areas shall be screened at all times, unless otherwise specified, regardless of adjacent uses, districts, or other proximate landscaping material.
(b) Screened items.
(1) The following areas shall be screened in accordance with this section:
A. Large waste receptacles (e.g., dumpsters and cardboard recycling containers) and refuse collection areas;
B. Off-street loading areas;
C. Pipes, conduit, and cables associated with the building or use;
D. Outdoor service areas that are necessary to support common business operations (e.g., outdoor freezer or refrigeration units, storage units, etc.);
E. Ground-level or façade-mounted mechanical equipment and utility structures; and
F. Roof top equipment that is not otherwise hidden by the roofline, parapet wall, or other similar feature.
(2) Screening shall not be required if any of the above items are not visible from adjacent rights-of-way or from adjacent residential lots.
(3) All sides of the item shall be screened with the exception that one side of the item may be screened with a gate or other similar feature to allow access while screening the item when access is not necessary.
(c) Screening methods.
(1) The following items are permitted for use as screening materials, and more than one method may be used on a lot or site.
A. Vegetative materials that provide a fully opaque screen to the minimum height necessary to fully screen the facility from off-site views (see Figure 1216-E);
B. An opaque fence or wall consistent with the standards for Buffer Type A in § 1216.06(a); or
C. Integration into the building design (e.g., false walls or other architectural screening) that utilizes the same building materials and colors as the principal building.
(2) The required screening shall have a height sufficient enough to screen the applicable item(s) provided it is in accordance with any other applicable sections of this code including, but not limited to, § 1208.06.
(3) Alternative screening materials that are not listed or alternative configurations may be proposed as part of an alternative equivalent review application. See § 1226.09.
(4) To the maximum extent feasible, pipes, conduit, and cables should be located along the rear façade of buildings if conditions do not allow for them to be enclosed within the building itself. Pipes, conduit, and cables shall be located as far away from public view as practical and shall be painted a similar color as the building façade to further reduce visibility.
(d) Configuration of vegetative materials. In cases where vegetative materials are used for screening in accordance with this subsection, the vegetative materials shall:
(1) Be planted around the perimeter of the site feature to be screened in a manner that screens the site feature from all off-site views;
(2) Be configured in two staggered rows or other arrangement that provides maximum screening;
(3) Be upright, large evergreen shrubs or a hedge and be capable of reaching at least six feet in height within three years of planting; and
(4) Be spaced no farther than necessary to create an opaque screen when the shrubs or trees are fully grown. In no case shall trees used for screening be spaced further than eight feet apart on center.
(Ord. O2018-02, passed 2-20-2018)