Board of Adjustment hearing ends with denial of variance request for 6010 Hughes Field Road

The Gilpin County Board of Adjustment closed a public hearing and denied a homeowner's request to allow part of a fence at 6010 Hughes Field Road to exceed the county's 8-foot height limit.

The request, brought by the property owner identified in the record as Mrs. McFarland, sought relief for about 40 feet of fencing that stands higher than the county's eight-foot maximum. The hearing included public comment from a local attorney and neighbors, staff presentations and repeated legal questions about how the board should treat topography and changes made to the parcel.

Why it matters: The board's decision clarifies how Gilpin County will apply its fence-height rules and variance standards in a compact three-member Board of Adjustment, where state law requires unanimous votes to reverse a director's decision. The case drew attention because it blended land-use rules, neighbor-conflict claims and questions about building permits and alterations to terrain.

Attorney Jeffrey Shepherd, who said he was speaking…