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Board permits 7-foot fence at 1010 Carolina Avenue with 60-day visibility requirement
Summary
North Augusta's Board of Zoning Appeals unanimously approved a variance to allow a 7-foot fence at 1010 Carolina Avenue, but required the final panel adjacent to the sidewalk be lowered to 4 feet or less within 60 days to preserve pedestrian visibility; the approval is limited to the height and location shown in the application.
The North Augusta Board of Zoning Appeals on Aug. 5 approved a variance allowing a 7-foot fence at 1010 Carolina Avenue, but attached conditions to address pedestrian visibility and to limit the approval to the specific height and location shown in the application. The motion passed unanimously.
Planning staff explained the code standard for front-yard fences and told the board that, while taller fences are allowed behind the front plane of a house, anything extending to the property line in the front plane is typically limited to a lower height for sight-line reasons. The staff member recommended that, if the board approved the fence, the final panel nearest the sidewalk be reduced in height to preserve visibility for pedestrians and bicyclists.
“4 feet is more appropriate,” the planning staff member said during discussion while recommending a shorter final panel at the sidewalk. The board adopted a condition requiring that last section of fence be removed or lowered to 4 feet or less within 60 days of approval to “allow visibility of pedestrians on the sidewalk.” The board also limited the variance to the fence height and location shown in the applicant’s materials and permitted the 7-foot fence to continue around the property to meet the existing picket fence on the church side as shown in the application packet (Google Earth imagery dated in the application).
Property owner Kara Reich told the board she had removed an old chain-link fence and installed the new wood fence to improve privacy and the property’s appearance. “I tried really hard to do something aesthetically pleasing,” Reich said, and she described having lumber on-site because the work had been started before code enforcement contacted her. Reich said the taller fence is intended to provide screening from a neighboring multiunit apartment building and a church with active parking and program activity.
Board members questioned sight lines and discussed alternatives such as angling a section of the fence; members ultimately agreed that the 7-foot height on the church side was acceptable but that the final panel near the sidewalk should be shortened to ensure pedestrian safety. At the hearing staff also noted there were no neighbor complaints and that the property had been posted and adjacent owners notified as required.
The board attached three conditions to the approval: the last section of fence adjacent to the sidewalk must be removed or lowered to 4 feet or less within 60 days of approval; the variance is limited to the specific fence height and location shown in the application and any future modifications that do not conform to zoning standards may require a separate variance; and the 7-foot fence may continue around the property to the existing picket fence on the church side as depicted in the application materials. The motion passed by unanimous vote of the members present.
