Council advances narrow chain‑link exception for fences removed by GDOT; to go to Planning Commission

A Johns Creek councilmember asked the council Jan. 12 to consider a narrowly written text amendment that would allow homeowners whose chain‑link fences were removed for a Georgia Department of Transportation road project to reinstall chain‑link in the same location.

The proposal, introduced during council initiatives, is limited to chain‑link fences taken as part of a road project and does not create a blanket exception for other nonconforming materials. "If GDOT or the city took down your chain link fence as part of a road project, then you get to put it back up," a staff member said, summarizing the specific scope of the draft language.

Council discussed whether GDOT must replace fences to current code or only compensate owners for what was taken. Legal staff clarified that the government typically pays for what is taken but is not required to rebuild structures to current code; property owners are compensated for the value of what was removed, not for a code‑compliant replacement.

Members also considered aesthetics and cost: one councilmember cited an installed estimate of roughly $4,000–$4,500 per 100 feet for a wood privacy picket fence as a point of comparison and said allowing a chain‑link replacement in the specific circumstances would avoid imposing that additional cost on homeowners who had already been reimbursed.

Council agreed the change is specific to chain link and not a blanket grandfathering of other fence materials. Staff confirmed the amendment is a code change that will go to the Planning Commission for review before returning to council with a formal recommendation and ordinance text; council signaled comfort placing the item on the consent agenda for later action.

Next steps: staff will submit the narrowly tailored draft to the Planning Commission for its review and recommendation, after which the council will consider formal adoption.