Fence dispute at Cortland Boulevard continued while city and owner reconcile permit records

A code-enforcement hearing over a fence at 117 South Cortland Boulevard ended in a 30-day continuance after the magistrate said city records and the property owner's paperwork appeared inconsistent.

Code Compliance Officer Mary Laracy presented photos and the city's position that portions of the fence were installed without a permit and other portions were not built consistent with the permit. Owner A. French Fortune said a permit had been pulled and an inspector had issued a final inspection in July; he said he followed building-department instructions on setbacks.

Building-department staff and code staff described an approved permit and a submitted survey; the survey submitted with the permit highlights the approved fence locations. The magistrate said the hearing record showed an apparent inconsistency between the city's permit records that included a final and the city's current contention that the fence is not consistent with the permit. He continued the case for 30 days to allow the owner to work with city staff, verify the permit and, if necessary, obtain a conforming permit. The magistrate asked the owner to meet with the city's contact before the next hearing to resolve outstanding issues.

Discussion only: whether the fence was permitted and whether the constructed fence matched the permit. Direction: owner to meet with building department and code staff; case continued to allow record reconciliation. Formal action: 30-day continuance; if unresolved, further enforcement may follow.

The magistrate said he preferred to resolve any administrative or clerical inconsistencies before entering an enforcement order.