17.26.130 – Additional screening requirements
- Refuse Dumpsters and Recycling Containers
Outdoor refuse dumpsters, recycling containers, compacting equipment, pallet storage, baled cardboard, and other refuse and recycling materials that are visible from public streets or adjoining property shall be enclosed and screened on all sides by a masonry screen wall or opaque fence, at a height sufficient to provide screening of the container, unit, material and pallets. Such enclosures shall be gated. No material shall be permitted to accumulate such that it is visible above the height of the enclosure. - Outdoor Storage
Where outdoor storage areas accessory to nonresidential uses are visible from a public street or from any lot in a residential district, opaque, year-round screening shall be provided by means of berming, landscaping, fencing and/or masonry walls, to a minimum height of six feet (6’) above the grade of the right of way line or property line, as the case may be. Where feasible, fences and walls used to provide the screening that are located along public rights-of-way shall be landscaped to provide a softening effect in accordance with Section 17.26.030 E (Softening of Walls and Fences). The height of materials stored outdoors shall not exceed the height of the screening provided. - Loading Docks
Except in the M-1 and M-2 Districts, loading docks shall be located and oriented so that they are not visible from the public right-of-way, or shall be screened from the public right of way to a height of eight feet (8 ft.) above the elevation of the right of way line. If any lot in any district containing a loading dock adjoins or is across the street from a lot in a residential district, the loading dock shall be screened from view from the residential property to a height of eight feet (8’) above the elevation of the common property line or right of way line, as the case may be. - Screening of Mechanical Equipment
- Ground-Mounted Equipment
- In accordance with the provisions of Table 17.22-3 (Permitted Encroachments), where it is impractical to locate ground-mounted HVAC and other mechanical equipment within the rear or interior side yard of a single-family or two-family dwelling, the Building and Code Enforcement Division Manager may approve an alternative location if the mechanical equipment is screened with landscaping, hedges, berming, walls and/or fencing so as not to be visible from any public street or adjoining lot when viewed from an observation height of five feet above grade.
- For multi-family residential and non-residential buildings, ground-mounted mechanical equipment, such as HVAC units, refrigeration units, and pool equipment is discouraged. Wherever possible, this equipment should be contained within the building or roof-mounted. Where the nature of the mechanical equipment or the design of the building precludes its location within the building or on the roof, it shall be screened from view from public streets and adjoining residential dwellings by landscaping, berming, walls and/or fencing. Color and texture of any screening wall or fence shall be compatible with the color and texture of the primary buildings on the site.
- Building or Roof-Mounted Equipment
- All newly installed or enlarged mechanical equipment, such as HVAC units, refrigeration units, and pool equipment located on the roof of any structure in any zoning district shall be screened from view from public streets and adjoining residential dwellings by its location on the roof (away from the parapet), by an architectural element of the building (e.g. a parapet), by a screening wall that is compatible with materials of the building, or a combination thereof. Where the majority of an individual unit of equipment is screened by its location, a parapet wall, and/or the building architecture, and where installation of a screening wall would increase the visual mass of the equipment, a screening wall may not be required, provided the unit is painted to blend with the building.
- For existing buildings with roof-mounted equipment lacking screening, equipment may be replaced or added without additional screening, provided the equipment has been located in the most unobtrusive location available on the roof. Where possible, new equipment shall be grouped with existing equipment in an organized manner that is consistent with the architecture of the building.
(Ord. 2011-Z-1 § 25.)
- Ground-Mounted Equipment
- Screening of Large Satellite Dish Antennas
Large Satellite Dish Antennas shall be fully screened so as not to be visible from any public street or adjoining lot when viewed from an observation height of five feet above grade. Groundmounted antennas shall be screened by landscaping, berming, walls and/or fencing. Roof-mounted antennas shall be screened by their location on the roof (away from the parapet), by an architectural element of the building (e.g. a parapet), by a screening wall, or a combination there of. Any screening wall or fence shall be compatible with the color texture, and/or materials of the primary buildings on the site.