Resident asks Orangetown board to approve alternate screening, fence at 37 Highland Avenue

A resident asked the Orangetown board at its June meeting to retroactively approve plantings and a wooden fence installed at 37 Highland Avenue, saying the work differed from the landscape elements on the approved plans and the inspector withheld escrow funds pending review. The resident said the approved plan called for green arborvitae and boxwoods but the homeowners had planted magnolias, hollies, laurels and crepe myrtles and had added a small wooden fence around a generator, which the landscaper had proposed to conceal the equipment.

The resident told the board, “We unintentionally planted different trees than what were on the original plans,” and described the change as an oversight while working to meet erosion‑control requirements. The inspector flagged the different plantings and the fence when visiting the site, the resident said, and the homeowners came to the board to ask for approval of what had been installed.

Board members asked for details about the fence and whether the trees could be moved elsewhere on the property; one board member cautioned that transplanting established trees could cause them to die. The resident said the neighbor had already planted tall evergreens that provided privacy and that both households were satisfied with the way the planting and fence look.

The Chair expressed informal support during the discussion, saying he was "fine with it," and no formal motion or vote appears in the meeting discussion recorded in the transcript. The homeowners said they would consider repurposing plants if required; the transcript does not record a final decision or the escrow release timing.

Next steps: The board discussed the request and asked clarifying questions; no formal action was recorded in the transcript, and staff follow‑up on escrow release is implied but not specified.