Plan Commission delays decision on 6-foot privacy fence at Woodland Park Drive after neighbor concerns

The Delafield Plan Commission on Aug. 27 postponed action on a request by Gary and Mary Johnson to install a 6-foot-tall composite privacy fence at 2429 Woodland Park Drive. City planner Amy Barrows described the site as “just less than a half an acre” on the west side of Woodland Park Drive, west of Nagawicka Lake, and said the applicants’ proposed fence would be within the eight-foot side-yard setback and six inches off the lot line. Barrows explained the fence requires Plan Commission approval because it would be less than 50% open and taller than four feet. The homeowners, Gary and Mary Johnson, told the commission they want a privacy screen because an adjacent lot was approved for a new home to be built just eight feet from the lot line and the resulting foundation and windows will be close to the Johnsons’ recently built patio. Gary Johnson said the adjacent house “is gonna be pretty impactful to their outdoor spaces” and his wife said she had “retired… and I don’t have 10 years to wait” for landscaping to mature. Several commissioners and attendees pressed for alternatives and raised concerns about precedent. Commissioner Scott Kranky and other commissioners suggested options including smaller fence segments or “panels” focused on the patio area, use of landscaping or a shadow-box fence that offers some openness at angles, moving the fence a foot off the lot line, or waiting until framing is complete so window placement is known. Barrows and others noted city code limits privacy fences that are less than 50% open and that granting a waiver could set precedent for similar requests. After extended discussion the commission took a motion to postpone the application “for future consideration when the applicant is ready to bring it forth.” The motion passed by voice vote; the commission asked the applicants to consider reducing the fence length, provide visual samples and a survey, and to coordinate with the neighboring property owner about possible screening. The postponement means the Johnsons may return to the commission with a revised plan — the transcript records the commission offering to place the item on September or October agendas if the applicants choose to proceed.