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Commission approves UDC text amendments changing fence height, screening and waste-enclosure rules
Summary
The commission approved text amendments to the Unified Development Code that raise allowable residential front-yard fence height, provide flexibility for screening at nonresidential/residential adjacencies, and allow limited collocation options for waste enclosures under specific conditions.
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a set of Unified Development Code text amendments that change rules on fencing, screening and trash-enclosure placement.
Key changes approved include raising the maximum permitted height of front-yard residential screening from 42 inches to 60 inches while retaining a 50% opacity requirement; allowing alternative screening (wood, composite or fiber cement panels) with an accompanying vegetative buffer where nonresidential uses adjoin single-family neighborhoods; and providing limited flexibility for locating trash or waste enclosures relative to a building’s front facade when physical constraints or multiple frontages make the standard placement infeasible. Under the trash-enclosure change, enclosures placed outside the imaginary front-facade line must be landscaped and oriented so doors or gates are not visible from the street.
Staff said the fence-height change responded to resident requests for greater privacy and safety; the screening alternatives are designed to reduce construction costs while maintaining privacy through vegetation; and the waste-enclosure provision memorializes administrative allowances the department has previously granted in unique site conditions.
Commission action: the commission voted to approve the UDC amendments by motion; the motion carried by voice vote.
Enforcement and staffing note: staff acknowledged enforcement resources are limited but said hiring and data collection (including recent ACELA data) are building the department’s capacity to enforce code provisions more consistently.
