A.

Screening shall be installed so as to provide a visual barrier. Any such barrier shall reduce visibility in a manner that restricts vision of the object being screened.

B.

Any business, industrial, non-residential uses, and residential dwellings other than detached single-family adjacent to any residential district shall provide screening along the boundary of residential property.

C.

Screening shall consist of a compact evergreen or deciduous hedge and overstory and understory trees of sufficient width and density, or an earth berm of sufficient height to provide effective screening throughout the year. Overstory and understory trees are defined in Section 27. Landscaping Regulations.

D.

A required screening fence shall be constructed of masonry, brick, or wood. Such fence shall provide a solid screening effect and not exceed eight feet in height or be less than six feet in height.

E.

Earth berms shall not have a slope of more than four feet horizontal to one foot vertical or be located within any street right-of-way or within eight feet of the traveled portion of any street or highway.

F.

No screening or buffering shall be located on any public rights-of-way or within eight feet of the traveled portion of any street or highway.

G.

Loading docks shall be screened from all lot lines and public roads.

H.

Except as provided under Appendix A, Section 24, all storage of material and equipment related to, located on, and used by any business, light industrial, or other non-residential use shall be stored inside a building. Exterior storage in business districts that is allowed by other provisions of this ordinance shall be screened from public rights-of-way and adjacent properties.

A.

All mechanical equipment, such as air conditioning units, erected on the roof of any structure or on the ground, shall be screened so as not to be visible from public rights-of-way and adjacent properties.

B.

The screening shall be constructed with materials that are architecturally compatible with the building.

A.

Trash and recycling storage facilities which would be visible from public rights-of-way or adjoining property, except those located in parks, shall be screened by an enclosure of masonry or brick construction. Screening gates shall be of solid material such as wood; chain link fencing is not acceptable.

B.

Screening enclosure gates may not be required if the resulting open side of the enclosure does not face an existing or future right-of-way.

Buffer yards for business, light industrial, and non-residential uses in residential districts, and residential dwellings other than detached single-family shall meet the following requirements:

A.

Where a buffer yard is required for property which abuts residentially zoned property, there shall be within the required setback a landscaped area at least 20 feet in width which shall extend along and be adjacent to the entire length of all common property lines shared with residentially zoned property.

B.

The landscaped area shall contain a double row of evergreen shrubs which, when planted, shall be a minimum of four feet in height with the capability to grow to a minimum height of six feet.

C.

The rows of such shrubs shall be planted in such a manner that a distance of five feet exists between the centerline of each row and that, when viewed perpendicular to the rows, one would observe a shrub planted every 2½ feet on center.

D.

This buffer area shall contain a fence, which fence shall be located entirely on the non-residential lot.

E.

Berms may be constructed the entire length of the buffer yard and shall be continuous or provide the illusion of continuity when viewed from the side and perpendicular to the berm. Earth berms shall not exceed a slope of 4:1.

F.

Some uses may not be required to provide A—E above at the discretion of city council.

(Ord. No. 48, Fourth Series, 9-21-2016)