Historic Preservation Board continues variance request for 3001 Spruce Avenue fence height to March 25 for design review

An owner of the Orin and Elizabeth Randolph House at 3001 Spruce Avenue asked the Historic Preservation Board on Feb. 25 for a variance to raise a front‑yard picket fence from 4 feet (code) to 6 feet for safety reasons after repeated break‑ins and assaults the owner said were police‑reported.

The applicant described the current front fence being kicked down during an incident and proposed a taller, heavier metal picket fence in a wrought‑iron style with finials but retained visual transparency. Staff presented the site survey and a marked plan showing the area in the front yard that would require a variance and recommended approval with conditions under section 94‑38(d)(6) of the ZLDRs. Staff’s proposed conditions included: limiting the variance to the proposed fence; preserving the intersection visibility triangle per § 94‑305(e); and screening the portions of the 6‑foot fence within the front yard with landscaping except where visibility is required.

Board members expressed general sympathy for the security rationale but repeatedly asked to see detailed fence elevations and materials before granting a variance for height — some members suggested preserving the existing central semicircular ornamental section and having a simpler yard fence elsewhere. The board directed the applicant to bring specific design elevations and material samples to the March 25 hearing. The board then moved to continue the matter to March 25, 2025. No formal variance was granted at the Feb. 25 meeting.