ZDC 4-706. Screens, Walls and Access Control Landscapes.

D. Land Use Buffers. Property lines of parcels developed for multi-family, mixed-use, commercial, office, or industrial uses that are adjacent to or separated by an alley from any single-family residential district (except when land is used for city parks) or use shall provide a wall and landscape screen in conformance with the following standards:

1. Screen planting areas shall be at least six (6) feet clear in width;

2. Screening shall conform to the Landscape Design Guidelines in the Appendix AIV;

3. These buffer areas shall contain trees with a maximum spacing of twenty (20) feet on center;

4. All walls shall be constructed of masonry or concrete material and shall be a minimum of eight (8) feet in height;

5. Screens and walls shall provide for natural surveillance, when required by the Development Services Manager or designee; and

6. Where a commercial, office or industrial development of over fifty thousand (50,000) square feet of building area is located adjacent to a single-family residential district or use, the landscape buffer described above in this section shall be a minimum of twenty (20) feet wide adjacent to that use. This buffer shall be planted with two (2) rows of trees along the interior side of the required wall. Each row is to contain trees spaced at thirty (30) feet on center and staggered by fifteen (15) feet to the adjacent row, except where an alternative design approved through development plan review would provide an equal or better effect in screening the two (2) uses. See Figure 4-706D.

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A common example:

A common violation for this code is when two neighboring properties of different uses, such residential and commercial, do not have trees along their separating property line. The violation in this scenario is not having a wall and landscape screen conforming to the above standards.