Changes to city’s fence ordinance in the works

Mark R. Madler

City officials are expecting a full house Tuesday night for a public

hearing on proposed changes to the ordinance controlling fence and

wall heights for private residences.

The main change before the City Council would increase the maximum

fence and wall height to 4 feet from 3 feet for front yards.

At least one resident is concerned about a provision requiring

fences and walls to meet the new standards within a one- to

three-year period or be torn down.

“I’m totally against it if they want everybody at 4 feet,” said

Lincoln Street resident Barbara Bartman, who has a 5-foot-high fence

on her property. “I don’t think 5 feet is all that high.”

The proposed fence height was chosen because it allows for

additional security, greater variety of design and is the standard

size of pre-fabricated fencing sold by home improvement stores, city

officials said.

The ordinance change would also address vegetation such as hedges

that act as a fence or wall, and would propose a ban on chain-link

fencing in front yards or exposed side yards.

“This is a very complicated issue and a one-size-fits-all is not

going to work,” resident Carolyn Berlin said.

In the late 1990s, the fence issue was brought before the city

Planning Board although no changes were recommended because of the

challenges involved implementing a citywide uniform policy, said

Berlin, who served on the board at that time.

Rancho District resident Michael Scandiffio was critical of the

city not crafting standards for each of the different neighborhoods

and instead assumes that residents are not creative and lack a sense

of style.

The city should have done an inventory of problem areas and then

tailored the ordinance to address those problems, Scandiffio said.

“You don’t do an ordinance against un-stuccoed blank walls and

chain-link fences and wipe out every other category of wall, fence

and hedge done in an aesthetic way,” said Scandiffio, an architect

and real estate developer.

The city’s current fence and hedge ordinance, adopted in 1967,

restricts front- and sideyard fences and hedges to three feet; and

rear and interior fences and hedges to eight feet. The ordinance has

no regulation on design or materials for fences.

Enforcement is done on a reactive basis when a complaint is made,

said Assistant City Manager Mike Flad.

Mayor Jef Vander Borght is looking for a compromise that will

cover a large majority of fences and walls. But he is anticipating

that the height restriction will be less of an issue than in

determining what kind of material can be used, Vander Borght said.

Chain-link fencing and plain gray cinderblock walls are two

materials Vander Borght supports for elimination.

“The issue is how do we enforce quality so we don’t end up with

ugly fences,” Vander Borght said. “There has to be some way to create

fencing that is compatible with the house.”

The Rancho area already has walls that fit in with a home’s

architecture and those homes would be affected by the proposed

changes, Scandiffio said.

Other changes in the ordinance include planting trees 8 feet apart

when within 10 feet of a public right of way; and allowing arbors and

pergolas with a maximum height of 8 feet and width of 5 feet.

Residents who wish to speak at the meeting should arrive at least

20 minutes before it begins, Flad said.

QUESTION

Should the city change its fence ordinance? E-mail your responses

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