(a) Screening of Service Areas. 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 intensive 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.
(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. Accessory outdoor storage and bulk sales;
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 facade-mounted mechanical equipment; 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 lots in residential zoning districts.
(3) All sides of the item shall be screened with the exception that one (1) 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.
(4) Screening Methods.
A. The following items are permitted for use as screening materials, and more than one method may be used on a lot or site.
i. Vegetative materials that provide a fully opaque screen to the minimum height necessary to fully screen the facility from off-site views (See Figure 1111-C.); or
iii. 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.
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Figure 1111-C: The above image illustrates a vegetative screen that
hides HVAC equipment and a dumpster.
B. 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.
C. To the maximum extent feasible, pipes, conduit, and cables should be located along the rear facade 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 facade to further reduce visibility.
D. In all cases, fences and walls are limited to the heights allowed by Section 1109.03 unless the wall used for screening is an extension of the principal building, in which case, the wall may be the same height as the principal building wall that from which it is extended. See Figure 1111-D.
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Figure 1111-D: The above image illustrates a wall and fence that is an extension
of the principal building that is designed to screen outdoor storage areas.
(b) Screening between Land Uses. This section shall provide for the screening of land uses that may be of a different intensity, or are otherwise incompatible, for the purposes of mitigating impacts such as parking areas, noises, and other potential effects. Screening of land use shall be established in the following manner:
(1) In Table 1111-2, identify the required screen type by locating the district in which the proposed use is in along the left-hand column. The required screen type will be in the right two columns based on the adjacent residential uses.
(2) Screen types are identified by a letter. Where nonresidential districts are adjacent to other nonresidential zoning districts, screening between land uses will not be required.
District where Proposed Development Will Occur: | Adjacent Zoning | |
RR, ER, R-1, R-1A and R-2 | R-3 and R-4 | |
RR, ER, R-1, R-1A, and R-2 | None | None |
R-3 and R-4 | A | None |
NC and OB | A [1] | A |
CB | None | None |
GB | B | B |
LI and GI | C | B |
PI | B | A |
NOTE: [1] In the OB District, the screening shall only be required when a nonresidential use is established adjacent to a residential zoning district. The residential use of a property in the OB District shall not require screening. | ||
Screen Type | Minimum Width with Solid Fence, Wall or Mound | Minimum Width Without 6-Foot Fence, Wall or Mound | Number of Landscaping Elements per 50 Linear Feet of Screening | ||
Shrubs | Shade or Evergreen Tree | Ornamental Tree | |||
A | 5 | 10 | 6[1] | 2 [1] | 2 [1] |
B | 15 | 30 | 8 | 4 | 3 |
C | 20 | 40 | 15 | 6 | 4 |
NOTE: [1] Landscaping elements shall only be required where there is no solid fence, wall or mound used for screening. | |||||
(Ord. 2024-032. Passed 7-22-24.)