The Clawson Zoning Board of Appeals on July 17 approved a variance permitting KeyBank to install an 18‑inch masonry parking-lot obscuring wall with a planted bed at 330 West 14 Mile Road, subject to conditions requiring the plantings be maintained to provide between 30 and 36 inches of visual height (with the understanding that seasonal trimming will occur in spring).

The variance was requested because KeyBank removed an earlier wall while renovating the site and now proposes a lower masonry wall that would serve as a planter for grasses and hydrangeas. City ordinance Section 5.14(e) requires a parking-lot obscuring wall between 30 and 36 inches in height; the bank asked for an 18‑inch wall with plantings to achieve the required visual screening.

Robin Sickrep, facility manager for KeyBank’s corporate real-estate group for Michigan, northwest Ohio and northern Indiana, said the original wall had been damaged and removed while the bank addressed irrigation and landscape problems. "Our corporate standards go from the exterior of the building to the end of the property, and it's mainly based upon line of sight for our physical security," Sickrep said, explaining that the bank wants vegetation and a low wall that do not provide places for hiding while still screening the parking area.

Rebecca Laura of Davy Tree confirmed the construction method and sizing: the block material and cap planned for the bed stack to an 18‑inch masonry height and the plantings atop it would provide the additional height visually. Joe Tangieri, the city’s planning consultant, said the earlier wall’s removal made the site no longer a legal nonconforming condition and therefore any new wall must meet the ordinance or obtain a variance.

Board members discussed public-safety and aesthetic rationales in the ordinance, enforcement if plantings die, and how line of sight and headlights factor into the standard. City staff said landscaping is required to be maintained under city code and that code enforcement can compel replacement if plantings are left dead or "ratty." The board added an explicit condition that the applicant maintain plantings to provide between 30 and 36 inches of screening, and that the height limit of planted material not exceed 36 inches.

The roll-call vote recorded four affirmative votes (Diane Smith, Carpenter, O'Rourke and Cindy Smith) and no negatives; the motion carried. The board noted that the applicant must obtain any required building permit before construction.

The variance approval includes a written finding that the previous wall had been damaged and needed replacement, and that corporate safety standards and the condition of the original wall supported a practical-difficulty finding under the variance criteria of Section 34-7.15(d).