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Council pauses fence permit for 4912 Queensbury Road after police raise sight-line concerns; traffic engineer to review
Summary
An applicant has begun constructing a six-foot wooden fence at 4912 Queensbury Road after receiving a county permit and a town-backed variance. Police and staff flagged visibility and emergency-response risks at the nearby East West Highway/Taylor Road intersection; the council requested a free town traffic-engineer line-of-sight study and will revisit the permit July 7.
The council heard extensive testimony on a fence-permit application for 4912 Queensbury Road on June 16 after the property owner began work following a lengthy county variance and permitting process.
Public-safety staff, including Deputy Chief Arcia, told the council that a six-foot stockade-style fence near the East West Highway and Taylor Road intersection could reduce drivers’ ability to see oncoming traffic and pedestrians, creating a blind-corner hazard. Staff recommended either a lower, picket-style fence or greater setback from the intersection, and noted that sight-line mitigation such as a no-right-turn-on-red sign would require coordination with State Highway Administration (SHA) and could take time.
The applicant said county permits had been issued and that the installed fence would be set back about 29–30 feet from the corner; he argued the fence improves privacy and safety for his property. Council members and the town manager expressed sympathy for the applicant’s compliance efforts but emphasized the police department’s safety concerns.
To resolve the dispute, the town manager offered to have a traffic engineer review the site (at no cost to the applicant) and return with a recommendation at the July 7 meeting. Council did not vote on the permit that evening and asked staff to aim for a definitive recommendation based on the engineer’s line-of-sight analysis.
