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Commission declines proposed 6-foot stockade fence at 157 C Street after neighbors object
Summary
Applicants sought a 6-foot stockade fence at the rear of 157 C Street; abutters complained the fence was erected without a permit and urged split-rail or vegetative screening; the commission proposed a reduced 6-foot run to the shed with a taper to 3–4 feet but the motion to approve the modified plan failed; applicants may appeal to the regional commission.
The Dennis Old Kings Highway Regional Historic District Commission on Tuesday rejected the applicants’ request to allow a 6-foot stockade fence to remain at 157 C Street, after neighbors described the structure as built without permits and inconsistent with the neighborhood character.
The applicants, Scott and Kathy McClellan, asked the commission to approve a six-foot stockade along the rear of the property, tapering to 3 feet at each end. They told the board the fence would “enhance the look of our property” and help screen mechanical equipment and a shed. The applicants said the fence contractor began assembly before filing with the commission.
Several abutters spoke against the stockade at the podium. “I woke up one morning and there it was in the backyard,” said Eli Whitney, who said he had asked workers not to block his dirt driveway and complained of construction debris blowing onto his property. Neighbors Mary Kurtz and Jerry Portnoy urged a return to a split-rail fence or plantings to preserve the open character of the corner lot.
Commissioners reviewed the site and proposed a compromise: keep a 6-foot run to the rear corner of the shed, then transition down to a 3- to 4-foot fence or a post-and-rail treatment toward the street, with plantings to soften the appearance. Board discussion focused on visibility from the corner lot and the commission’s standard that taller fencing not come close to the road.
A board member moved to approve the revised plan — allowing the post-and-rail to remain where shown, a 6-foot stockade from the back right corner to the shed corner, then a transition piece down to 3–4 feet to the property line — but the motion failed on a voice vote. The chair instructed the applicants that they had 10 days to file an appeal with the Old Kings Highway Regional Historic District Commission if aggrieved by the local committee’s decision.
The commission’s decision preserves the board’s review power over corner-lot visibility and maintains the requirement that applicants either propose lower-profile fencing or better-screening plantings when tall fences are requested in sensitive settings.
