Where permitted or required by this ordinance, obscuring walls shall be subject to the following requirements:

   A.   Location. Required obscuring walls shall be placed inside and adjacent to the lot line except in the following instances:

      1.   Where underground utilities interfere with placement of the wall at the property line, the wall shall be placed on the utility easement line located nearest the property line subject to approval of the city engineer.

      2.   Subject to plan commission approval, required walls in a nonresidential district may be located on the side of an alley right-of-way closest to the adjacent residential zone when mutually agreed upon by affected property owners and residents. The continuity of the required wall shall be considered by the plan commission in reviewing such requests.

      3.   Walls shall not extend closer to the front lot line than the required front setback or the established front setback line whichever is greater.

   B.   Corner clearance. Obscuring walls shall comply with the specifications for maintenance of unobstructed sight distance for drivers, Section 2.09.

   C.   Substitution or waiver. 

      1.   As a substitute for a required obscuring wall, the plan commission may, in its review of the site plan, approve the use of other existing or proposed living or man-made landscape features (such as closely spaced evergreens) that would produce substantially the same results in terms of screening, durability, and permanence. Any such substitute screening shall comply with the applicable requirements in Sections 2.09 and 5.02.

      2.   If a fence is approved by the plan commission as a suitable substitute for a required obscuring wall, the fence shall be constructed of redwood, cedar, or No. 1 pressure-treated wood. Chain link fences shall not be permitted for screening purposes.

      3.   The zoning board of appeals may waive the requirements for an obscuring wall upon making the determination that:

         (a)   The adjoining residential district is in transition and will become nonresidential in the future, or

         (b)   Existing physical features provide adequate screening.

   D.   Wall specifications. Required walls shall be constructed of masonry material that is architecturally compatible with the materials used on the facade of the principal structure on the site, such as face brick, decorative block, or poured concrete with simulated brick or stone patterns. Alternately, walls may be constructed of precast steel-reinforced panels, anchored in place by steel I-beam columns, provided that the pre-cast panels have a simulated brick or stone pattern that is compatible with the architecture of the principal structure and any adjoining screen walls on abutting property.

   E.   Wall requirements. For the uses and districts listed below, an obscuring wall shall be provided as specified along property lines that abut a residential district, except where landscaped screening is permitted by the plan commission in lieu of a wall [see Section 5.02(E)]:

 

   F.   Maintenance. Walls required by this ordinance shall be maintained in a neat and orderly appearance, structurally sound, free from paint, refuse, and debris. Any wall found in a deteriorated condition shall be repaired and/or replaced upon notice from the building and safety department.

(Ord. No. 93-553, § 6.01, 2-2-1993)