Evansville board approves 6-foot fence, reduced front-yard setback at 931 Bellemeade

The Board of Zoning Appeals on March 20 approved a variance to allow a six-foot privacy fence and to reduce the required front-yard green space at 931 Bellemeade Avenue.

Angela Bullock, who represented petitioner Tammy Harbor, told the board the structure sits on a corner lot where "the front yard according to ordinance actually is the side yard to this house." She said the fence would be a "horizontal nice cedar looking fence" and that the patio and fence serve safety and privacy purposes after the house was struck by a vehicle on Jan. 4.

Neighbors opposed the height. Stephanie Gibson, president of the Bellemeade Deer Park Neighborhood Association, said a "6 foot fence is not aesthetically pleasing" along the busy Bellemeade and Kentucky intersection and argued the patio was added by the current owners and should have been permitted before construction. Board members viewed photos on a shared display and discussed other nearby corner lots that have fences, and petitioners said the proposed fence would sit behind a stop line and would not obstruct intersection sight lines.

After discussion the board voted to approve the variance (VAR‑2024‑099). The roll call recorded five votes in favor and none opposed.

The variance allows the petitioner to establish an existing concrete patio in the required front yard and to install a six-foot privacy fence along the Kentucky side of the corner lot; conditions or plan details were discussed during the hearing and are recorded in the commission file. Staff and petitioners noted the owner has repaired and rehabilitated the historic house and that the proposed fence will be set back from the sidewalk and stop line, which the petitioner said was planned to avoid sight‑line obstruction.