Clifton Heights zoning board approves six-foot opaque fence for Ace Metal with conditions

Clifton Heights, Pa. — The Clifton Heights Borough Zoning Board on Jan. 27 unanimously approved a variance allowing a six-foot fence at 212 East Berkeley Avenue to screen an outdoor scrap container used by Ace Metal, the business owner told the board.

Phil Fusakia, the owner of Ace Metal, said he acquired the property in February 2025 and that placing a roughly 15-by-6-foot scrap bin in the rear yard behind a six-foot fence with privacy slats is necessary to free up interior workspace. "This ability to have the usage of that area is critical for the long term viability of this business in Clifton Heights," Fusakia said.

The board’s solicitor, John McLean (filling in for the regular solicitor), opened the hearing and described the application as a variance from Clifton Heights zoning code §340-82 to permit a fence taller than the four-foot limit for front yards. McLean and zoning staff confirmed the property was posted on Jan. 12, 2026, and public notice was published on Jan. 13 and Jan. 20, 2026.

Neighbors asked questions before the vote. Jen McDonald, who lives at 228 East Berkeley Avenue adjacent to the site, asked whether the six-foot fence would run along the side of her property and whether an overhead door would be added in the rear; Fusakia said the fence would be placed directly along Berkeley Avenue, not along the property line between the two homes, and that an overhead door at the rear of the building is intended to facilitate moving material in and out.

Board members questioned the applicant about fence materials, access and operations. Fusakia said the design is a chain-link fence fitted with privacy slats (not a fabric windscreen), that trees in the front would largely remain except for one that likely must come out, and that regular scrap pickup occurs about every 7–10 days. He said site surfacing would be compacted gravel rather than an impervious paving unless future expansion prompted additional permitting.

Solicitor McLean noted that a separate section of the zoning code, §340-56, requires a planted visual screen at residential/industrial boundaries if and when industrial use expands onto the rear parcels; that planted buffer requirement is separate from the variance before the board and will be addressed with staff if expansion occurs.

After a brief recess, the board approved the variance with three conditions: the fence must be opaque (privacy slats so it is not see-through); the gate must be placed at the end furthest from the adjoining residential property on the Rosati/Rizzati side; and the applicant must meet the borough’s planted screening requirements in consultation with zoning staff. The board voted unanimously to approve the motion. McLean said a written decision will issue in the next several days and that parties have 30 days from the decision to appeal.

The approval allows Ace Metal to install the six-foot screening fence and use the rear yard for the scrap container under the stated conditions and existing borough requirements. The board did not grant any additional approvals for expansion, paving, or changes to hours of operation; those would require separate reviews and permits.