BUENA PARK : Residents Ask to Keep Illegal Fence

Local apartment resident Patricia Correa and her neighbors strongly believe that personal security is defined by tall fences.

Correa, 28, lives with her six children in a complex on the corner of Kingman Avenue and Franklin Street, where a security gate and a 6-foot iron fence were installed around the property to blunt the encroachment of area crime.

But this week, the City Council found that the fence height violated city code and ordered that it be lowered by 2 1/2 feet. City law prohibits fences higher than 3 1/2 feet unless they are set back 15 feet from the property line. In the case of Correa’s complex, there isn’t enough room to move the fence back.

“I feel my children are safer with the fence high,” Correa said.

Last summer, residents asked the complex owner to raise an existing 3 1/2-foot fence to its present height to discourage trespassers and criminal activity. The owner complied and, at the same time, installed the security gate.

But earlier this week, council members members agreed that to allow the higher fence would set an unacceptable precedent. In their ruling, however, council members also agreed to review the code for possible changes.

Lilian Yen, whose father owns the eight-unit apartment complex, pleaded with the council to allow the 6-foot fence to remain because of the criminal activity in the area. Yen said her father paid about $5,000 for the fence addition.

“It’s really scary for the people who live there. We’re just trying to protect tenants,” Yen said.

Residents said that before the fence was raised, the complex was plagued by trespassers and car and home burglaries, claiming that the lower fence allowed for easy access.

Irene Guerrero, 31, whose home was burglarized before the fence was raised, said she won’t feel as safe with a lower barrier.

“But there’s nothing we can do,” she said.

A neighborhood in transition, the area is marked by newer apartments and condominiums mixed with older, single-family homes. The area also has a history of criminal activity, with shootings, drug dealing, burglaries and auto thefts among the most frightening.

Police Chief Richard M. Tefank said increased efforts by law enforcement in the area last year have helped to reduce crime. He also said that incidents of crime are generally fewer in gated residential communities.

“From a law enforcement perspective, a (controlled) access gate and fencing on the property give some additional protection to the property,” Tefank said. “A gate and fence are a deterrent.”

City officials said that in the past year, there has been a growing trend to place fences around multifamily housing complexes.

“It’s a growing issue in the city in certain neighborhoods,” City Manager Kevin J. O’Rourke said.

Many property owners are not receiving city approvals and are erecting fences that exceed height standards within residential areas, officials said.

James Morrie, senior code enforcement officer, said the city has notified property owners of fences in violation of the law. Next week, Morrie said code enforcement officers will specifically look for illegal fences.

“But right now, we don’t have the manpower to catch everyone,” he said.