The Mayor and Common Council is authorized to adopt, and from time to time amend, by ordinance, a landscape manual for the City of Westminster to enhance the City's environmental and visual character for its citizens' use and enjoyment. In that regard, the Mayor and Common Council find that a landscape manual will preserve and stabilize the City's ecological balance, improve air and water quality, reduce flooding and stormwater management and provide protection from climatic conditions. The adoption of a landscape manual will enable the City to protect and improve the health and general welfare by promoting the environmental and public benefits of trees.

It shall be the joint and several responsibility of each person owning or using property to comply with the landscape manual of the City of Westminster in accordance with approvals pursuant to §§ 164-188E(4), 164-193I, and 164-211A(1)(d).

The requirements of the landscape manual adopted by the Mayor and Common Council shall prevail over any conflict or inconsistency with any other provisions required for landscaping under this chapter.

The Mayor and Common Council is authorized to adopt, and from time to time amend, by resolution, a manual that contains development design preferences, to be included as part of the development design review in any district in the City.

The Planning and Zoning Commission may utilize said preferences manual and make recommendations related to development design, to be included in all projects via the Commission's review under §§ 164-193L and 164-211K.

The Development Design Preferences Manual shall be utilized by the Planning and Zoning Commission, in coordination with other provisions and requirements of this code, to achieve an improved design.

Any roof-mounted, wall-mounted, or ground-mounted appurtenance, including, but not limited to, newly installed air-conditioning units, telecommunications installations, and mechanical and electronic equipment, located on any nonresidentially zoned property shall be screened from view from yard areas of residentially zoned property within 500 feet of said appurtenance.

The screening material must be compatible with and integrated into the architectural and site design of the project.

In any National Historic District, the State Historic Preservation Office shall be offered an opportunity to review and comment.

For any appurtenance installed after the date of this revision which is located on property adjacent to Main Street and between Longwell Avenue and Bond Street/John Street, no appurtenance shall be visible from the ground level of any portion of the Main Street public rights-of-way between Longwell Avenue and John/Bond Street.

For any modern appurtenance to be installed on a property described in Subsection D above, if the appurtenance itself is not visible from the ground level of any portion of the Main Street public rights-of-way between Longwell Avenue and John/Bond Street from the yard areas of any residential use located adjacent to the property upon which such an appurtenance is located, said modern appurtenance need not be screened.

City-owned infrastructure of any kind shall not be subject to the provisions of Subsection D above.

The Planning and Zoning Commission, the director, or the director's designee may in the case of extenuating circumstances or for temporary relief, approve an appurtenance without screening, at the discretion of the aforementioned, if the requirements in Subsection C above are met.

Screening for (micro) wireless communication antenna array. Landscaping and privacy screening shall be employed to screen outdoor equipment facilities from view. When located in an historic district, it is recommended that the micro antenna and any necessary support devices be painted and/or positioned to minimize their visual impact and to protect the historic character of the affected building and neighborhood buildings.

Roof-mounted solar collectors are an accessory use to permitted uses in any zoning district, subject to historic district restrictions.

Photovoltaic panels shall be flush with and surface-mounted on the roof of a building and for which all required Carroll County permits have been approved, issued, inspected and passed.

Roof-mounted solar collectors located on nonresidential or multiple-family dwelling buildings shall be subject to the applicable requirements of § 164-155.4.

Where any approval has been granted by the Mayor and Common Council and/or the Commission and is in compliance with the terms and provisions of the prior Interim Zoning Ordinance, such approval, with any conditions imposed thereon by the Mayor and Common Council and/or Commission, shall apply to any use which has been established thereunder. In those cases where a time limit had been imposed as a condition of approval, the Board may approve, upon reapplication, one extension of time of equal duration, but in no case to exceed five years.

All preliminary plans, final plans, revised preliminary or final plans and all development plans of any type which have been approved by the Mayor and Common Council and/or the Commission prior to November 5, 1979, shall continue to be approved and valid after said date, regardless of the zonal classification of the real property as to which such plans pertain, and said real property shall be developed in accordance with the provisions of such plans. Such plans may be amended in accordance with the procedures provided for the amendment of development plans contained in § 164-188J of this chapter. Additionally, the Common Council may amend any such plans approved prior to November 5, 1979, to permit residential single-family attached dwellings in lieu of any commercial or business use, provided that it determines, after an opportunity for public comment, that there will be no increase in the gross allowable residential density beyond that originally approved and that such development will not have an adverse impact upon the adjacent properties or the general character of the approved development plan.