Historic commission approves wrought‑iron fence at 1702 University Boulevard, delays gate approvals

The Tuscaloosa Historic Preservation Commission on Nov. 12 approved a wrought‑iron fence for the property at 1702 University Boulevard in the Pinehurst Historic District but delayed approval of the property’s gates until the applicant provides detailed drawings.

Commission Chair Kathy Pagani and staff described the application for a 41‑inch wrought‑iron fence to be placed atop an existing stone retaining wall along University Boulevard and 17th Avenue. Applicant Janelle Pernia told the commission the fence will “appear just like the one at the University Club” and said the contractor indicated the main driveway gate could be “no higher than 8 feet” because the driveway slopes toward the gate.

Commissioners pressed for clarity on total height when the fence is combined with the retaining wall, pointed out that the packet lacked drawings for the four distinct gates proposed across the front and asked whether the city’s 6‑foot guideline applied to the fence alone or to the wall-plus-fence combination. Commissioner Cooper Shattuck proposed approving the fence while continuing the gate component until the applicant submits scaled gate elevations showing how each gate relates visually and dimensionally to the fence beside it. The commission adopted that approach and included a condition that the total height (retaining wall plus fence) not exceed 6 feet and that the top of the fencing be level across the property.

Pagani read the motion on the record: the fence portion of HPC 56‑25 is approved with the stipulation that the overall height, including the retaining wall, shall not exceed 6 feet and that gate approvals be continued pending submission of drawings for each gate. The motion carried unanimously among voting members participating in this portion of the meeting.

City staff will issue the approval letter with those conditions and will conduct a final inspection of installed work. The applicant was asked to return with labeled, to‑scale drawings that show each gate’s dimensions and how the center of each gate aligns visually with adjacent fencing so commissioners can confirm proportions and ensure the project does not create a compound appearance inconsistent with the neighborhood.

The action affects adjacent property owners along University Boulevard and 17th Avenue; the commission noted previous cases in the neighborhood where unmeasured combinations of walls and fences produced overly tall front barriers and said the requirement is designed to keep the overall profile consistent with surrounding properties.

The commission also instructed staff to communicate the conditions to the applicant and to assist with next steps for the resubmitted gate drawings.