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Residents press Glassboro council on townhouse fence ban; zoning officer cites emergency‑access safety
Summary
Residents asked why the borough prohibits certain fences at townhouse units. The zoning officer said the restriction was adopted during a prior ordinance rewrite to preserve emergency access—allowing fences could impede firefighters reaching middle units.
During public comment at the July 22 Glassboro Mayor and Council meeting, multiple residents questioned the borough’s rule limiting fences in townhouse rows and asked whether the restriction could be revisited.
"My name is Lee Gasson. I'm at 204 South Main Street here in Glassboro. I'm also a landlord," Lee Gasson told the council and said he was asking about the fence policy and whether the issue would be revisited.
The zoning officer responded that the question had been discussed when the townhouse portion of the zoning code was updated roughly two years ago. The officer said the primary reason for limiting fences in townhouse rows is emergency access: allowing rear-yard fences across multiple contiguous units could require emergency responders to pass through several gates or private property to reach a middle unit. "It could mean life or death for a resident," the zoning officer said, explaining that the fire chief had raised access concerns during prior code revisions.
The officer also cited enforceability and aesthetic consistency as secondary concerns, noting that permitting fences could create widely differing fence types and heights that the borough would have difficulty regulating.
Council members and staff framed the restriction as a public‑safety and code‑consistency measure rather than an aesthetic preference. A resident asked whether the policy would be discussed again; council members said the ordinance had been previously considered and that any further changes would follow normal ordinance procedures.
The exchange closed without a council vote or a directive to staff to change the rule; residents were offered the option of follow-up conversations with zoning staff after the meeting.
What happens next: any change to the fence rule would require council action to amend the zoning ordinance; the transcript records only explanation and discussion at this meeting, not a motion to alter the code.
