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The standards in this Section 146-4.7.8 apply in addition to the standards in Section 146-4.8.11 (Screening of Mechanical Equipment), but only one type of screening (through landscape or building design) is required for each area or piece of equipment required to be screened. If required screening for an area or piece of equipment is provided pursuant to this Section 146-4.7.8, then additional screening of the same area or piece of equipment is not required pursuant to Section 4.8.11, and vice-versa.

A. Utilities and Communication Lines. Meters or similar utility apparatus attached to the building façade shall be screened from view and painted to match, using landscaping and screen walls that match the architecture of the building they are part of. Such utilities shall not be mounted on or in front of the primary building façade.

B. Multifamily, Mixed-Use, Commercial, Institutional, and Industrial Developments.

1. Mechanical Equipment Screening Standards.

a. Roof-mounted mechanical equipment shall be screened from public view from the street centerline by a parapet or mechanical screen that is integrated into part of the building’s architectural design.

b. Ground-mounted mechanical equipment shall not be located between (i) a primary building façade or a patron or resident parking lot and (ii) a street or public open space.

c. Ground mounted mechanical equipment shall be screened from public view by landscaping or by a decorative wall, or fence that is similar in appearance to the primary building.

2. Service, Loading, Storage, and Trash Area Screening Standards.

a. Service, Loading, and Storage Areas.

i. All service, loading, and storage areas visible from residences, public or private streets, public open spaces or trails shall be screened by fences (excluding chain link fencing), walls, berms, or any combination of those items with landscaping. If walls are used, they shall not exceed nine feet in height and shall be similar in appearance and materials to the closest wall of the primary building structure they serve.

ii. Fence and wall screening shall be accompanied by landscaping on the exterior side to soften the appearance of the wall and fence. Landscaping shall consist of evergreen trees and shrubs, installed at a minimum of one tree and 10 shrubs per 40 linear feet. This requirement shall not be in addition to street and non-street frontage buffer requirements. If screening of service loading and storage areas overlap with the buffer requirements, then the wall or fence shall be provided at the inside edge of the required buffer and the plant material provided for the buffer may satisfy both requirements.

b. Trash Facilities. All trash dumpsters and recycling bins placed on an existing or developing site must be enclosed and set back at least 12 feet from adjacent properties with residential or commercial uses. The enclosure shall be large enough to accommodate both a dumpster and a recycling bin and shall be completely screened from view of public streets and adjacent properties using one of the techniques listed in Subsection 2.a above. Dumpsters shall be screened on three sides by a minimum six foot high masonry wall or an opaque fence enclosed on the exterior by evergreen plantings. The access opening shall be oriented so that the container is not visible from adjacent properties or public streets and shall have an opaque gate. Chain-link gates with metal cladding are prohibited.

c. Outdoor Storage.

i. Where outdoor storage is permitted, the following standards shall apply.

ii. Outdoor storage shall be located behind required front setbacks or buffer areas.

iii. All outdoor storage facilities for manufacturing equipment, fuel, raw materials, subassemblies, finished goods and defective or repairable goods shall be enclosed by an opaque fence with a maximum height of nine feet, a berm, or a wall with a maximum height of nine feet in combination with landscaping that completely conceals the view of those materials from the locations listed in Subsection 2.a above. Chain link fencing may not be used for this purpose. Landscaping shall consist of one tree and 10 shrubs per 40 linear feet.

iv. Outdoor storage not visible to the street or adjoining properties may not require screening, but will be evaluated for potential impacts on surrounding areas on a case-by-case basis. (Ord. No. 2019-49 § 1, 08-19-2019)