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Request by Joe Malucha, Beeler Construction Inc, for an exception to the rooftop equipment screening requirements of WMC 24.12.040.A.2 at 756 N. 109th Street
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Submitted by:
Art Piñon
Department:
Development
A. Issue
Request by Joe Malucha, Beeler Construction Inc, for an exception to the rooftop equipment screening requirements of WMC 24.12.040.A.2 at 756 N. 109th Street
B. Background/Options
The applicant is proposing an exception to the required screening requirements for a recently installed roof exhaust vent for an auto-body shop (Leonard Auto Body) located at 756 N 109th Street. The exhaust vent was installed as part of a recent building addition and is cylindrical in shape, stands 14 feet tall from roof grade, and is stainless steel in color (see attached photos). The project site is zoned General Commercial (C2) with commercial buildings to the north and south, Union Pacific Railroad to the east, and Single Family Residential (R-1-6) properties to the west.
Wauwatosa Municipal Code (WMC) 24.12.040.2 requires roof mounted equipment exceeding 30 inches in height be screened from ground level of all R and C zoned properties in one of the following ways:
• A parapet along façades facing the lot used or zoned for residential purposes that is as tall as the tallest part of the equipment;
• A solid screen around the equipment that is as tall as the tallest part of the equipment, with the screen an integral part of the building's architectural design; or
• An equipment setback from roof edges facing lots used or zoned for residential purposes that is at least 3 feet in depth for each one foot of equipment height.
The exhaust vent meets the screening requirements from the R-1-6 zoned properties to the west in that the equipment is setback from the front façade by 90 feet, which exceeds the minimum setback of 42 feet established by WMC 24.12.040.2.C. However, the C2 zoned properties to the north, south, and east, as well as the R-1-6 zoned property to the northwest, require a solid architectural screen wall around the equipment that is as tall as the equipment.
The applicant has indicated they are unable to screen the equipment since the roof is not designed to handle the weight and wind load of a screen wall, and the height of the vent is required per manufacture specifications. The applicant also indicates that architectural screening around the vent would be more visually obtrusive than keeping the vent as is, the stainless-steel color of the vent blends in with the sky, neighboring buildings to the north and south do not have windows facing the subject property, and visibility from the railroad tracks to the east do not pose a visual impact. Attached to this report is the applicant’s justification letter.
C. Strategic Plan (Area of Focus)
Economic Development and Financial Resilience
D. Fiscal Impact
No fiscal impact to the City
E. Recommendation
Staff recommends approval of the exception to the rooftop screening regulations of WMC 24.12.040.A.2