Bellbrook board approves variance to allow outward-facing fence posts on west side of 2214 Tampico Trail

On Aug. 19, 2025, the City of Bellbrook Board of Zoning Appeals and Property Review Commission approved a variance to Zoning Code section 18.061A allowing the replacement privacy fence at 2214 Tampico Trail to have supporting posts facing the exterior of the lot on the west side only.

The variance request was filed by Denise Tanka, the property owner at 2214 Tampico Trail. A staff report explained contractors who inspected the property said they could not install replacement posts from the interior side because an existing chain-link fence on the adjacent property at 2210 Tampico Trail encroaches over the property line and prevents safe, warranty-backed installation.

The staff report said the existing privacy fence on 2214 is set about 4 inches inside the property line; contractors told the owner they could not construct or guarantee a replacement without placing posts so the finished face of the fence could be uniform along the west run. The report and the applicant said the requested change would only apply to the west side run; the rest of the replacement would comply with zoning requirements.

Neighbor Bonnie Campbell of 2218 Tampico Trail spoke during public comment and asked whether the switch in facing would affect yard maintenance or how the area between the fences would look from the street. Denise Tanka described contractors’ repeated assessments: “All 4 have told me there is no way to that that could have been constructed through that fence,” and said the current cedar fence is about 17 years old and has experienced partial failures.

Board members discussed alternatives, including asking the applicant to request that the owner of 2210 roll back or remove the chain-link mesh, and noted there was no written objection from the adjacent property owner in the meeting record. One board member said the chain-link encroachment appeared to be on 2210’s fence line and that removing it could be more disruptive to that neighbor.

A motion to approve the variance (BZA 25-02) carried with a 4–1 vote: Mister Bridal voted no; Missus Breininger, Mister O'Grod, Missus Schroeder and Miss Taylor voted yes. The board asked staff to add a clarifying point to the approval noting the change applied only to the west side run of the replacement fence.

The board’s written decision will record the variance as limited to support posts facing the exterior on the west side of 2214 Tampico Trail and include the clarifying language discussed during the meeting. No additional conditions, such as required outreach to the neighboring property owner, were specified in the motion or the vote record.

Background and context: the applicant said the original installation involved contractor work around the chain-link mesh and that the existing fence’s age and prior partial failures prompted the replacement request. The transcript indicates the adjacent property’s fence has traversed in and out across the property line for many years and appears to enclose the neighbor’s backyard, which the applicant and board members cited as part of the practical installation constraint.

The board adjourned after completing the two variances on the Aug. 19 agenda.