12.48.540 Blank wall treatment.
A. Purpose.
1. To avoid untreated blank walls.
2. To retain and enhance the character of Canyon Park’s streetscapes.
B. Blank Wall Definition. “Blank wall” means a ground-floor wall or portion of a ground-floor wall over 10 feet in height and a horizontal length greater than 15 feet and does not include a transparent window or door.
Fig. 12.48.540.B. Blank wall definition.
C. Blank Wall Treatment Regulations. Untreated blank walls adjacent to a public street, publicly accessible outdoor space, common outdoor space, or pedestrian pathway are prohibited. Methods to treat blank walls can include:
1. Display windows at least 16 inches of depth to allow for changeable displays. Tack-on display cases (see Figure 12.48.540.C below) do not qualify as a blank wall treatment.
2. Landscape planting bed at least five feet deep or a raised planter bed at least two feet high and three feet deep in front of the wall with planting materials that are sufficient to obscure or screen at least 60 percent of the wall’s surface within three years.
3. Installing a vertical trellis in front of the wall with climbing vines or plant materials.
4. Installing a mural as approved by the director and reviewed by the Bothell arts commission. Commercial advertisements are not permitted on such murals.
5. Special building detailing that adds visual interest at a pedestrian scale. Such detailing must use a variety of surfaces; monotonous designs will not meet the purpose of the regulations.
For large visible blank walls, a variety of treatments may be required to meet the purpose of the regulations.
Fig. 12.48.540.C. Blank wall treatment examples.
D. Firewalls. Firewalls along property lines are exempt from the above regulations, but where they are visible to the public (from the adjacent street), they must be designed to provide visual interest from all observable distances. Examples may include the use of varying materials, textures, and/or colors, the use of green or living walls, and/or the use of modulated building walls to form design patterns.
Murals are also encouraged as a firewall treatment. Murals are subject to review by the Bothell arts commission and approval by the director. Commercial advertisements are not permitted on such murals.
Fig. 12.48.540.D. Acceptable firewall design where visible to the public.
(Ord. 2341 § 5 (Exh. A), 2020).