Zoning board approves 6-foot backyard fence at 985 West Wooster with landscaping condition

The Bowling Green Zoning Board of Appeals on a split vote approved a variance allowing a 6-foot fence at 985 West Wooster Street that extends past the front-facing elevation of the neighboring house, conditioned on landscaping to soften the fence.

Property owner Michelle Veil told the board she built the fence after a contractor she hired assured her permits were in place and said she feared for her family’s safety because of threatening behavior by long‑term renters next door. “This has been going on for the 3 years that they’ve been there,” Veil said, describing repeated threats and saying the backyard had been “a place of peace” that she wanted to reclaim while caring for a sick parent.

The board heard from Chase Fletcher, senior planner, who explained that fences are governed by section 150.79 and table 25 of the city code, which caps front-yard fence height at 4 feet and allows side‑yard fences up to 6 feet. Fletcher said staff had documented that the fence at 985 West Wooster was constructed before a permit was issued, that a variance application was filed on Dec. 22, 2024, and that an earlier variance request was denied on Jan. 8, 2025. The city’s code‑enforcement letter from Jason Westgate was entered into the record.

Veil said she contacted the contractor after receiving a violation notice and sought to resolve the matter. Attorney Doug Ruck, appearing for Veil, told the board the amended application reduced the encroachment by cutting the corner of the fence and noted the variance sought was approximately two feet in the encroaching sections. “It essentially just kind of backstops the landscaping that’s already there,” Ruck said.

Board members debated whether the change materially altered neighborhood character and whether the applicant was seeking a second “bite” after a prior denial. Several members said they were sympathetic to Veil’s safety concerns and noted existing landscaping and the property owner to the east had not objected. One board member said the fence was “tucked in behind all these trees” and indicated support for approval if conditions were added.

The board approved the variance with a condition that the applicant plant a minimum of six arborvitae at least 4 feet tall — three along the clipped corner and three along the east‑facing fence segment — to soften appearance and provide screening. The roll call recorded Julie Broadwell voting no; Jeff Crawford, Tim Emmert, Rod Noble, David Flager, Chase Hockman, and Jerry Anderson voting yes. The board chair announced the variance approved with the stated condition.

The zoning director and planning staff said required public‑notice procedures — newspaper advertisement, site posting, and mailed notices to adjoining owners — had been completed. The hearing record also included a written statement from a neighbor, Thomas Gerken, indicating no opposition.

The board reminded the public that decisions by the Zoning Board of Appeals may be appealed to the Wood County Court of Common Pleas.

Details of the required landscaping, timing for planting, and any inspections to verify the condition were not specified on the record.