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Board approves barbed‑wire fence and other variances, citing deterrence and code findings
Summary
The Board approved a request by the Printers of Oklahoma City LLC to add barbed wire and increase fence height to protect equipment and 9‑1‑1 infrastructure after staff and the applicant described repeated trespass and property damage; board members noted safety tradeoffs but approved the variance.
The Board of Adjustment approved a variance on Nov. 6, 2025 permitting the addition of barbed wire and a fence‑height variance at 1605 North Portland Ave for the Printers of Oklahoma City LLC.
Applicant Cara Blair said the company sought the changes to deter trespassing and theft that had damaged soffits and gate connections and to protect equipment integral to 9‑1‑1 operations at the site. "In past sites that we've added barbed wire, it tends to discourage them from going that way," Blair said, explaining prior success at other (non‑city) locations. Board members pressed about alternatives and safety risks to people attempting to climb the fence; one member said barbed wire could hurt people and suggested the measure be a last resort.
Blair and other project representatives said they had exhausted other measures including lock changes and law‑enforcement engagement; staff found the request met statutory variance criteria. The board voted to approve the variance and associated sign/height relief, finding it met statutory requirements, and the applicant indicated they will coordinate with public works and urban design as needed to finalize plans.
The approval was recorded as meeting statutory variance standards; the applicant must still follow permitting procedures and coordinate with city departments for any required public‑works adjustments.
