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Commission backs 8-foot fence at Bransford Road with conditions, recommends council review
Summary
After extended discussion and testimony from the homeowner about safety, noise and an ongoing city sidewalk/drainage project, the commission voted 5-2 to recommend approval for an 8-foot wood fence near Bransford Road, with conditions including compliance with opacity rules and temporary screening until landscaping matures.
The Planning and Zoning Commission on April 14 recommended approval, by a 5-2 vote, of a special use permit request to replace an existing chain-link fence with an eight-foot western red cedar fence along Bransford Road at 405 Oakcrest Hill Drive (owner Roger Presnell). The commission attached conditions: the fence should meet the city’s opacity requirements for solid fences, and temporary screening (for example a fence weave) is allowed for up to 12 months while landscaping establishes.
Homeowner Roger Presnell told the commission he had lived on Bransford Road for 23 years and that crews removed his original fence after the city verbally approved a permit but before the fee was paid. He said the city later replaced the fence temporarily with chain link at city expense, but he wants an 8-foot wood fence to reduce road noise, improve privacy and because of perceived safety risks associated with exposed gas-line work and traffic on a busy thoroughfare.
Commissioners discussed the broader policy context: the city has tightened setback and opacity rules for main thoroughfares since 2019 and has worked to reduce the number of long wood privacy fences along main roads. Several commissioners said they sympathized with the homeowner’s concerns but also wanted to maintain consistent corridor appearance standards. Multiple commissioners suggested compromise options including wrought-iron with landscaping. City staff and the city engineer explained that the City plans to install a sidewalk and storm drainage in the Bransford corridor but does not plan to take private property for that work; any sidewalk would be built close to the roadway and the city would negotiate easements if needed.
Commissioner Gross made the motion to recommend approval of the fence in its current location but subject to meeting the code opacity standard and permitting temporary screening for up to 12 months while shrubs mature; Commissioner Savoy seconded. The motion passed 5-2. The commission’s recommendation will go to City Council for final action; staff said Council can accept, amend or overturn the commission’s recommendation.
