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Planning commission directs staff to fix fence-code inconsistencies and begin a pedestrian/sidewalk plan
Summary
Commissioners directed staff to reconcile inconsistent fence regulations (6 vs. 7 feet, measurement reference points and curb setbacks) and to begin work on a town pedestrian/sidewalk plan, starting with simple wording fixes to match zone names.
Planning staff told the commission that multiple sections of city code contain inconsistent language on fences — including differing maximum heights and unclear references to where height should be measured — and asked the commission for direction. Commissioners agreed to start with straightforward wording changes to align zone names and definitions and to follow with a broader pedestrian plan to clarify sidewalk widths and maintenance responsibilities.
Zach Steele flagged discrepancies between procedural guidance (which calls fences up to 6 feet in rear yards) and code text (which in one section allows fences up to 7 feet in particular contexts). The code also contains language forbidding construction of a fence within 4 feet of a curb or curb line, which staff said complicates sidewalk maintenance and public-right-of-way work.
Commissioners suggested that staff first harmonize terminology (for example, residential 1/residential 2 naming) and next examine whether the code should measure fence height from grade or from a concrete footing. Commissioner Grady Bridal urged a broader pedestrian plan: "We need a sidewalk plan in this town," he said, noting ADA width and accessibility concerns.
Kent said staff would draft clearer language and return the recommended wording to the commission. The commission also discussed responsibilities for sidewalk maintenance to the curb and historical references to center‑line/right‑of‑way provisions that still appear in parts of the code.
