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Commission continues Franklin County sheriff parking-lot fence proposal after extensive debate over chain link
Summary
Commissioners delayed a decision on an eight-foot security fence and dumpster enclosure proposed for 55 East Main Street used by the Franklin County sheriff, expressing strong preference for higher-quality screening materials, landscaping or masonry piers instead of chain link.
Commissioners continued a plan to enclose the surface parking lot at 55 East Main Street—intended for the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office—after a lengthy discussion that covered security needs, downtown design guidelines and alternatives to chain-link fencing.
Why it matters: The sheriff’s office requested an 8-foot chain-link fence with vehicle gates and a card reader to secure a surface lot adjacent to a five-story building. Downtown design guidelines state chain link is “not supported” for parking lot screening; commissioners pressed the applicant on alternative materials and on balancing security with streetscape quality.
Applicant representatives from Kramer Engineers described the sheriff’s security needs and said the client initially requested a galvanized 8-foot chain-link fence with tight mesh; they also offered alternative no-climb metal fences with horizontal rails and options for black metal fences and screening fabric on the interior face.
Commissioners said the guidelines anticipate visual screening—masonry walls, decorative metal panels with masonry piers and planted buffers—rather than chain link, and they repeatedly urged the applicant to pursue masonry piers, landscaped planters at the sidewalk edge and other solutions to avoid a “prison yard” appearance. Staff read the guideline language specifying masonry, decorative metal and planting beds; commissioners suggested combining masonry piers with anti-climb metal panels and providing a planting strip between fence and sidewalk to improve the pedestrian experience.
The applicant said the sheriff’s office is reluctant to place landscaping that could be used as stepping stones and proposed a fabric screen for the interior face of the fence for the dumpster enclosure. Commissioners and the applicant discussed whether vehicular access could be shifted to Noble Alley but the applicant said that alley has meter parking and tight circulation and that loading and trash operations constrain options.
Outcome: Commissioners voted to continue the item to August to allow the applicant to return with revised materials and a design that better addresses downtown guidelines and streetscape concerns. The continuation motion carried on a voice vote.
