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Commission approves fence/gate setback exemption for corner house, with conditions that gate open inward or be sliding
Summary
Commissioners waived the 12-foot/triangular corner setback requirement for a homeowner's gate at a corner lot on condition the gate does not encroach on the sidewalk and opens into the property or is a sliding gate; the recommendation will go to city council.
Huntington's planning commission approved forwarding a homeowner's request for a gate/fence exemption to city council, provided the gate does not swing into the public right-of-way and either opens inward or slides.
Staff described the original purpose of the 12-foot setback and triangular sight-area rule: to provide room to pull out of the driveway without obstructing traffic or creating blind spots. Commissioners debated road width and whether the 12-foot requirement should apply universally. "You have to have that access so that if you were backing out, someone's coming around the corner, they do not strike your vehicle," the Chair (Speaker 1) said, explaining the safety basis for the code.
The commission approved a motion to allow the homeowner to keep the gate at the property edge rather than set it back 12 feet, on the condition that the gate "opens into the property, does not obscure the sidewalk, or slide down the existing fence line into the public right-of-way," Speaker 1 said when proposing the motion. Commissioners emphasized gates must not swing or slide into the sidewalk or street and noted the code already requires gates not to encroach into the public right-of-way.
The commission will recommend the exemption to city council for final action.
