Bellflower : Taller Screen Walls Ordered

In an effort to spruce up Bellflower’s appearance, the City Council has approved an ordinance requiring owners of businesses with outdoor storage facilities to keep their merchandise hidden behind 8-foot walls.

Owners also must plant trees or shrubs about 5 feet high in front of the walls, said Lee Whittenberg, planning director. The ordinance requires storage areas to be paved with concrete or asphalt, and prohibits items from being stored on roofs.

The ordinance was approved on a 4-1 vote, with Councilman Mike Brassard dissenting. It will take effect Feb. 11, Whittenberg said. Existing businesses will have one year to comply.

Previous regulations required owners to install 6-foot walls, but Whittenberg said items were often stored higher than the wall.

“The council asked us to find ways to clean up our city, and this ordinance is one way,” Whittenberg said. “We are not really talking about junkyards, but businesses that store equipment like pipe yards and building materials.”

City officials will begin notifying affected businesses within the next few weeks, Whittenberg said.