Rockwall advisory board unanimously backs recommendation for 8-foot cedar fence at 408 Munson Street

The Rockwall Historic Preservation Advisory Board voted unanimously to recommend approval of a certificate of appropriateness for the installation of an 8-foot cedar fence at 408 Munson Street.

Planning staff opened the public hearing on item H2025-022, telling the board the property is a 0.28-acre lot within the Old Town Rockwall Historic District and that the house — built in 1919 with Craftsman-influenced details — "has still been designated as a medium contributing property within the historic district." Staff said the request is for an 8-foot cedar fence intended to provide privacy and secure an applicant's pet, and that 32 notices were mailed on Dec. 3 with no responses received.

Applicant Matthew Moses identified himself and said he and his family recently bought the house and want a fence for privacy and to contain their pet. The board asked about materials and design; Moses said the fence would be vertical board-on-board cedar and that he would add cedar to cover gaps. Staff confirmed that cedar is required but there is no city requirement on stain color.

Board members and staff discussed the lot's configuration as a keystone lot and a red dashed front building setback line on the site plan. Planning staff explained that, by code and Appendix D of the historic preservation guidelines, fences that extend beyond the setback can be treated as front yard fences and raise visibility concerns, but that existing landscaping and nearby fences on the block reduce that impact on this property.

An adjacent neighbor, Marissa of 406 South Tyler Street, spoke during public comment saying, "whenever those trees are trimmed back and I'm standing in my front yard and I look at their backyard, I can see in their house." She told the board she supported the fence for privacy and did not expect it to hurt the neighborhood's appearance.

After discussion about trees and precedent, a board member moved to approve the certificate of appropriateness request; the motion passed unanimously. Staff told the board that approving the request would send a recommendation of approval to the Planning and Zoning Commission as the next step, and asked the applicant to meet with staff after the meeting to discuss details.

The historic preservation officer reported no additional updates on ongoing historic projects, wished members a happy holiday and the meeting was adjourned.