Troy board approves 6-foot privacy fence for canine handler after neighbors and board negotiate setback

A Troy City board of appeals voted to grant a variance allowing a 6-foot wood privacy fence at 5465 Whitehaven Drive, approving the request with conditions after neighbors and board members pressed for adjustments to sight lines and pedestrian clearance.

The board granted the variance after the applicant, Amy Losee, agreed to move the proposed fence 10 feet back from the public sidewalk and to accept a 25-foot clear corner on the west side; the motion passed 3-1. Losee is a Troy police officer and canine handler who told the board the fence is needed to keep her department canine secure and to allow her to use a pedestrian door from the garage directly into a contained yard.

Board members said the corner lot’s irregular geometry and the petitioner’s desire to house a working K-9 at home supported some accommodation, but several members and nearby residents raised concerns about the effect on neighborhood openness and sight lines for drivers and pedestrians. The petitioner revised her proposal in public comment to move the fence farther from the sidewalk after talking with neighbors.

Dominic, a building department staff member who presented the application, explained the property is in the R-1-B zoning district and that corner lots are treated as having two front lot lines; zoning requires a 40-foot front setback and limits fences in front yards to 30 inches above grade. The petitioner requested a 6-foot obscuring fence for roughly 177 feet of frontage along one street; Dominic said most of the requested fence would require a variance.

Amy Losee, the applicant, described the new fence as “6 foot wood designed to blend in with the surrounding area and meet zoning requirements,” and said it was needed primarily for the safety and containment of her canine partner, Zane. Losee told the board she and her family planned landscaping between the fence and the sidewalk and that she had maintained tall privacy plantings in the same location for 13 years.

Neighbors who spoke at the hearing said they value the open character of the Sylvan Glen subdivision and suggested alternatives such as decorative metal fencing or moving the fence farther back and cutting a 45-degree sight triangle. Neighbor Carlos Symancic said he and his wife moved to the subdivision in 1975 because of its openness and that he would support a decorative metal fence or a larger setback.

The board’s discussion focused on three trade-offs: preserving sight lines at the adjacent driveway, allowing the applicant a usable backyard given lot averaging and lot width, and minimizing the visual impact on nearby residents. Several members suggested moving the fence back from the garage wall or creating a diagonal cut at the corner to meet the city’s 25-foot clear vision triangle.

After deliberation, the board moved to grant the variance with the petitioner's offered 10-foot setback from the sidewalk, a required 25-foot corner cut on the west side for line-of-sight, and with fence posts oriented to the inside of the yard (support posts not visible from the street). Kathy then took the roll call vote: Mister Dezerman voted no; Mister Friesen, Mister Abathera, and Miss Brooks voted yes. The motion carried 3-1.

The board’s approval includes maintenance expectations and the requirement that any work within a public easement (sidewalk area) must have necessary department approvals. The petitioner was advised the city retains authority over vision-triangle requirements and that landscaping choices may affect visibility and will be considered in any follow-up permit review.