Committee allows inward-facing picket replacements but denies 7-foot fence at 4009 Covington Drive

The planning committee allowed a homeowner at 4009 Covington Drive in Jonesboro to replace fence pickets with the smooth face oriented inward, but it denied a separate request to raise the fence height to 7 feet.

Jeffrey Madden, who gave his address as 4009 Covington Drive, said the fence line in question was present when he bought the property in February 2003. He told the committee he replaced dilapidated pickets on approximately 28.5 feet of fence and that a neighbor uphill had asked for added privacy. Madden said he previously obtained a variance in 2010 for an 11-foot fence elsewhere on the property and said he was not replacing posts or 2x4 runners — only the pickets.

A motion to grant a variance allowing inward-facing replacement of the pickets passed. The transcript records the roll-call votes for that motion as Millard — yes; Bailey — yes; Maples — yes. A subsequent motion to grant a height variance to 7 feet failed; the roll call for that vote as recorded in the transcript was Millard — no; Bailey — no; (member recorded as) Cables — no. The committee instructed the homeowner that any partial replacements may trigger current code requirements and reiterated that alterations to a nonconforming structure can require bringing it into compliance with current codes.

Committee members and the applicant discussed permitting thresholds and when a permit is required for fence work; the transcript shows some confusion among participants about the exact permit trigger (a statement in the meeting referenced 16 feet as a threshold for permitting and another comment said replacing more than two sections requires a permit). The committee’s action allows the applicant to replace pickets inward-facing but denies the taller fence height; the homeowner said he will proceed accordingly.