Screening devices permitted.

Where required. An obscuring screening device shall be provided and maintained between:

Height requirements. The height of an obscuring screening device shall be in accordance with the following specifications:

Location on property line. Required screen walls and landscaped earth berms shall be located on the property line, except where underground utilities interfere and except in those instances where this chapter requires conformance with front yard setback lines in abutting residential districts. When the property line of a nonresidential district abuts the rear or side lot line of a residential district, the six-foot height of the screening device shall terminate at the minimum applicable building setback line of the abutting residential property. Thereafter, the screening device shall extend towards the intersecting property line at a height of three feet, except no screening device shall extend closer than six feet to the intersecting property line. Any request or necessity for locating a screen wall or landscaped earth berm other than along a property line shall require review and approval of an alternate location by the Building Department or by the Planning Commission. The Building Department or the Planning Commission, in making its review of alternate screen wall or earth berm locations, shall consider the following:

Replacing existing fences or screening devices. Whenever the location of a screening device shall require the removal or detaching of an existing wall, fence, planting screen or landscaped earth berm, that wall, fence, planting screen or landscaped earth berm shall be replaced, restored, attached or reattached to the new screening device by those responsible for erecting the new screening device.

Openings for pedestrian and vehicular traffic. A screening device may be constructed with openings that do not in any square section (height and width) exceed 20% of the surface. Where a screening device is so pierced, the openings shall be spaced so as to maintain the obscuring character of the screen and shall not reduce the minimum required height of the screening device. The arrangement of the openings shall be subject to review and approval by the Building Department or by the Planning Commission.

Reinforced concrete or concrete block with face brick on both sides of the wall. If the exterior walls of the principal use on the property shall contain any face brick material, the face brick on the screen wall structure shall consist of the same brick.

Reinforced concrete with a brick-etched appearance on both sides of the wall.

Natural stone materials or reinforced concrete or concrete block with cultured stone on both sides of the wall.

Reinforced concrete panel walls, so long as the vertical posts are concrete as well and are the same color as the panels they will support.

All masonry screen wall structures permitted in this section, including concrete panel walls and brick-etched concrete walls, shall include a cap. The cap shall be a vee type of cap that shall consistently extend along the entire top of the wall. The angle of the vee shall not be less than 45° so that it will quickly shed water and discourage walking on top of the cap. The vee cap shall extend out beyond the vertical sides of the wall.

Screen wall structures with exposed reinforced concrete surfaces may be stained or may be made colorfast by mixing the color into the concrete. They may not be painted. When stained or made colorfast, the color shall be of an earth tone.

Reinforced concrete panel walls shall be composed of heavy-duty panels, the size and weight of which shall require installation by machine.

No screen wall structure shall consist of exposed cinder or cement block, also known as concrete masonry units (CMU). Wood or wood products are specifically prohibited as a screen wall material.

All screen walls shall be found by the Building Department to consist of durable, weather resistant, rust proof and easily maintained materials.

When a screen wall structure is placed next to an off-street parking space or parking spaces, it shall be protected by bumper blocks, a guardrail constructed next to but physically independent from the screen wall structure, or by other means acceptable to the Building Department.

All screen wall structures shall be maintained at all times in a structurally sound condition, neat, orderly and attractive in appearance. All screen wall structures shall be kept free of graffiti.

Have a side slope no steeper than three on one (three feet of horizontal plane for each foot of vertical rise);

Consist of undulating top and side slopes;

Have a crest at the top of the earth berm of not less than two feet across;

Include an adequately designed drainage swale on the property line side of the berm to accommodate stormwater runoff. The drainage swale shall be subject to review and approval by the City Engineer and, where warranted, by the Macomb County Drain Commission;

Be seeded or covered with sod so as to prevent erosion of the sides of the earth berm and be attractively landscaped with plant materials acceptable to the City. The Building Department or the Planning Commission in making its review of the landscape planting plan for the earth berm may require installation of an automated irrigation system to properly maintain the landscaping materials on the earth berm. All landscape materials approved by the Building Department or the Planning Commission for the earth berm shall be maintained in a living, growing condition, neat and orderly in appearance.

In order to properly screen an area effectively, the ends of a landscaped earth berm may be required by the Building Department or the Planning Commission to include an architectural masonry screen wall extension at the ends of the berm structure. The structure would be made an integral part of the berm and would extend out from the top of the earth berm to a peripheral property line or driveway entrance, and shall be subject to the applicable requirements of this article pertaining to screen wall structures, and the restricted clear corner vision requirements as set forth in § 370-104, Corner clearance, in this chapter.

Wherever an earth berm abuts any part of an off-street parking space or parking spaces, or a service drive, it shall be placed behind a raised concrete curb.

This screening alternative may be permitted only when it can be shown that a screen wall structure or a landscaped earth berm cannot be used due to unusual circumstances. Unusual circumstances may include;

The planting screen, where permitted, shall consist of densely placed evergreen planting materials, the minimum height of which, at the time of planting, shall be not less than the minimum height required for a screen wall structure, and shall be planted and maintained in accordance with the landscape screening requirements of § 370-84, Landscaped planting screen, in this article.

The building wall shall be at least six feet in height along its entire length;

The building wall shall consist of architectural masonry materials, shall have no openings, and shall have no other accessory buildings, uses or functions, including loading and unloading facilities or any outdoor materials storage, located between the building wall and the property or zoning district line;

The yard area between the building wall and the property line shall consist of a landscaped lawn area that may include trees and shrubs placed for aesthetic purposes;

All landscaping shall be maintained in a healthy growing condition, neat and orderly in appearance.

The abutting residential district for which a screening device is required is determined to be an area in land use transition and which is likely to become a nonresidential district in the future. The Building Department or the Planning Commission shall rely on the land use recommendations of the Roseville Master Plan Map when evaluating the future use of the land abutting the subject property.

Changes in topographic conditions between the nonresidential and residential lands that are to be screened is such that a screen wall structure or landscaped earth berm, as set forth and regulated in this article, will not screen effectively and therefore will serve no useful purpose. The planting screen alternative may be applicable in such instances.

Sufficient natural vegetation exists along the common property line between the nonresidential district and the affected residential district to serve as an equally effective or better screen than the required screen wall or any of the other permitted screening devices would provide. The Building Department or the Planning Commission, in determining this alternative, shall:

All planting screens and landscape planting materials shall be planted in accordance with an approved planting plan and planted to completion prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy by the Building Department. If a use is ready for occupancy between April 1 and September 30, a certificate of occupancy may be issued. If a use is ready for occupancy between October 1 and March 31, a temporary certificate of occupancy may be issued; however, all required planting materials should be placed to completion within 60 days after March 31. Failure to have such required planting material placed to completion within 60 days after March 31 shall be grounds for termination or revocation of a temporary certificate of occupancy. No additional certificate of occupancy, either temporary or final, shall be issued thereafter until all required landscape planting materials are placed to completion. A period of establishment shall start at the completion of all planting and shall continue through the succeeding summer growing season of June, July and August as set forth in this section.

Whenever any aesthetic planting areas or permitted planting screens approach a street or driveway intersection, the restricted clear corner vision requirements of § 370-104, Corner clearance, in this chapter shall be observed; however, in all cases, care shall be taken relative to plant material, height and location so as not to impede the view of pedestrians or motor vehicle traffic.

Trees of a species whose roots are known to cause damage to public roadways or other public utilities shall not be planted closer than 12 feet to such roadway or public utility unless the tree root system is completely contained within a barrier, for which the minimum interior containing dimensions shall be five feet square and five feet deep, and for which the construction requirements shall be four-inch-thick concrete reinforced with No. 6 road mesh (six inches by six inches by six inches, or equivalent).

Ground cover used in lieu of grass shall be planted in such a manner that it will not exceed spacing from eight inches to 10 inches on center, depending on the material used and its growth rate, so as to provide reasonably complete coverage.

Grass areas shall be planted and grown as permanent lawns. Lawns may be seeded and mulched or covered with sod and shall be protected from erosion until the coverage is permanently established.

To prevent vehicular encroachment, including vehicle overhang onto or into landscaped areas, including lawns, planting materials in areas involving motor vehicles shall be protected by the use of wheel stops, raised concrete curbs, or other satisfactory and acceptable methods of barrier.

All open ground areas on any site, including pervious surfaces used in the calculation of lot coverage requirements, yard areas, open ground areas disturbed by construction, and other similar areas where such landscaping is appropriate and feasible, shall be provided with coverage of grass, ground cover, shrubs, or other approved landscaping material. Materials that prevent or inhibit to an unreasonable extent the percolation of water into the soil shall be considered unacceptable materials for the treatment of these areas.

Trees and shrubs shall be provided with a minimum thickness of at least two inches of mulch no less than at least 24 inches beyond the trunks or stems of all newly planted trees and shrubs. Such mulch shall be provided at the time of planting and shall be maintained and resupplied as needed thereafter.

All landscaped areas shall be maintained by an automated in-ground irrigation system approved by the Building Department. Individual planters and isolated planting areas shall have appropriate irrigation sources provided within each separate planting area.

All irrigation systems shall be maintained in an operable condition capable of providing adequate irrigation to landscaped areas as required. All inoperable irrigation systems and components thereof shall be promptly repaired or replaced so that adequate coverage of landscaped areas is restored and maintained.

All planting materials shall be properly planted so as to be in a healthy, growing condition at the time of establishment. All planting material shall consist of permanent, living plant materials and, when planted to completion, shall thereafter be maintained in an attractive and presentable condition, free of weeds, refuse and debris, and shall be continuously maintained in a sound, healthy and vigorous growing condition, free of plant diseases and insect pests.

Top pruning or other severe pruning or maintenance practices of landscaping materials that results in stunted, abnormal, or other unreasonable deviation from the normal healthy growth of trees, shrubs, and other required landscaping components shall be considered as the destruction of these materials, and replacement shall be required as described in this division. Failure of the owner of the property to maintain the premises in good condition, as set forth in Subsection K of this section, shall make the owner liable for the applicable penalties set forth by this chapter.

All plant materials shall meet current American Association of Nurserymen standards.

No approved landscaped area shall be abandoned, paved over, encroached upon by vehicular traffic, or otherwise used without submission of a site plan to and approval by the Building Department or the Planning Commission pursuant to the procedures set forth in this article.

The minimum scale of the drawing shall be one inch equals 30 feet, or the same scale as the site plan involved, if a requirement for site plan approval.

Existing and proposed contours shall be depicted with contour intervals not to exceed two feet.

The planting plan shall indicate the location, size, spacing and root type (bare root, balled in burlap, or container-grown) of all plant materials.

Where an earth berm is used in conjunction with a planting screen, the planting plan shall provide typical cross-section drawings depicting the slope, height and width of the berm and the type of ground cover intended to be placed on it. If architectural masonry screen walls are used in conjunction with an earth berm, the height of the wall and the type of materials to be used in the construction of the wall, as well as the type of materials to be used in the wall footings, shall be shown in cross-section format.

The planting plan shall depict significant construction details, where applicable, to reflect specific site conditions, e.g., tree wells to preserve existing trees, culverts to maintain natural drainage patterns, etc.

The planting plan shall indicate existing tree cover that is to be used in conjunction with or in place of the screen planting requirements of this article, including types of trees and overall tree height.

The proper types, spacing, height, placement and location of plant materials relative to the length and width of the screen so as to insure that the required horizontal and vertical obscuring of the land use it is intended to screen will be at least 60% obscured at the time of planting.

The choice and selection of plant materials so as to ensure that root systems will not interfere with public utilities and so that fruit and other debris, except leaves, will not constitute a nuisance within public rights-of-way or to abutting property owners.

The choice and selection of plant materials so as to ensure that the type of planting materials selected will be of a type that will thrive in the area in which they are to be located.

The proper relationship between deciduous and evergreen plant materials exists so as to assure that the desired obscuring effect will be accomplished.

The size of plant material (both starting and ultimate) is sufficient to ensure adequate maturity and optimum screening effect of the proposed plant materials.

Compliance with the applicable landscape design principles set forth in this article.

Landscape planting screens, when permitted as an alternative to a masonry screening wall structure or landscaped earth berm, or in conjunction with either, shall consist of diversified planting materials and shall be laid out in conformance with the following guidelines:

Plant materials.

Landscaping for aesthetic purposes shall be placed throughout the property and shall be placed in compliance with the following guidelines.

Except where excused in this subsection and except in those districts or development options where greater or additional planting buffers are required, a minimum ten-foot-wide landscaped lawn panel shall be provided between any public road right-of-way, existing or proposed, and any off-street parking space, service drive that parallels a road right-of-way line, or other motor vehicle use areas, except loading and unloading areas at the rear of a building or when next to an alley right-of-way, according to the standards established in this section.

The minimum ten-foot-wide lawn panel required in Subsection A of this section shall be landscaped in grass, ground cover, shrubs, trees or other acceptable living plant materials. Specified natural rock materials, brick paver materials, durable wood structures and other durable accent pieces may be used in conjunction with live plant materials to create visual landscaping accents. Low earth berms may be utilized as a landscape feature within a lawn panel. Whenever an earth berm is used it shall be covered with grass, but may also contain the nonliving durable materials outlined in this subsection as visual accent pieces.

Development which occurs in the OS, B-1, B-2, B-3, P-1, I-1 and I-2 Districts shall provide, in addition to the landscaped lawn panel required in Subsection A of this section, additional on-site landscaped areas. These additional landscaped areas shall be equal in area to at least 5% of the total area of the site, less any land in public, rights-of-way, or equal to a ratio of 10 to one: 10 square feet of landscaping for each off-street parking space provided on site, whichever results in the larger area. These landscaped areas shall be distributed throughout the site and may include:

[1]Stormwater detention or retention basins when required on site, shall be made an integral feature of the site's landscaping. When the side slopes of a stormwater basin will be steeper than a ratio of three to one (three of horizontal plane for each foot of vertical rise), the basin will be fenced with a six-foot-high black or green close link woven wire (chain link) fence to discourage climbing. Any part of a stormwater basin that must be placed in a front or exterior side yard next to a street, and which must be fenced, shall be fenced along the frontage by a decorative wrought iron fence of equal height. When a stormwater basin shall retain water, the water shall be circulated so as to prevent stagnation and pest infestation. A fenced stormwater basin shall be aesthetically landscaped along its fence line with a diversified mix of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs.

The area of a site that lies in a public road right-of-way between the property line and the back edge of the curbline of the pavement, or the edge of the pavement when there is no curb, shall be landscaped with grass and/or other live planting materials. Wherever such landscaping shall be installed, it shall comply with all applicable landscaping, clear vision or line-of-sight restrictions that are set forth and regulated by the superintending authority in control of the right-of-way.

Ground-level equipment shall be screened from view by any screening device permitted in this article. The screening device need be no higher than necessary to effectively screen the equipment from view. When the exterior walls of the principal use of the property for which the equipment is intended to serve contain any brick material and the screening device is to consist of an architectural masonry screen wall structure, its exterior sides shall consist of the same exterior masonry materials that appear on the principal building. When a landscaped earth berm or planting screen is to be used, except for minimum height limitations, they shall comply with the applicable requirements of this article.

Rooftop equipment that will be visible from the ground on the property or from any abutting residential district or street shall be screened from view by material that shall extend upwards at least 1/8 times higher than the equipment it is intended to screen. Rooftop screening materials may consist of lightweight weather-resistant metal or structurally ridged vinyl or glass fiber materials approved by the Building Department.

They shall be placed in architectural masonry screening structures as such structures are permitted and regulated in this article, except the following requirements shall apply.