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Resident Kathleen Tellez seeks front-yard fence; board urges survey, cites ordinance and precedent
Summary
At the March 5 Hobart City Redevelopment Authority meeting, resident and applicant Kathleen Tellez asked to install a fence reaching toward her home to create secure space for two small dogs. The board expressed concerns about setting precedent, suggested limiting the fence to the front face of the house or the side yard, and advised a property survey and building-department consultation.
Kathleen Tellez, an applicant and Hobart resident, asked the Hobart City Redevelopment Authority on March 5 for permission to install a fence that would enclose both the front and back yards of her house to provide secure space for two small dogs.
The board’s chair said the city ordinance generally prevents front-yard fences and warned that approving one could set a precedent. "We can't be careful, because if we allow you to do that, then we're setting precedent," the chair said. Board members described previously grandfathered front-yard fences that existed before the ordinance was adopted in 1983 and said exceptions are made only when land conditions make the front yard effectively a backyard.
Tellez told the authority she had photos — which she described as AI-generated illustrations of the proposed fence — and that she lacked an easy route from the house to the side yard because the garage and driveway block access. "What I'm trying to do is put a fence ... to provide a little bit of space for my dogs to be able to run around a bit," she said.
Several members suggested alternatives to a variance that would avoid extending a fence to the curb or property line. The chair and other members said the board might consider allowing fencing to the front face of the house — aligning with neighboring front-yard setbacks — rather than up to the property line, or encouraging the applicant to install a side man-door or gate to access an existing side yard. "You'd be able to go from that corner of the porch right there and pull it to the property line and back," one committee member said when outlining a compromise.
The board advised Tellez to obtain an official property survey to confirm exact lot lines and to consult the building department before pursuing any variance or construction. "You need to have a survey done, like, an actual survey to find out how much space you have there," the chair said. Tellez acknowledged the expense and said she had recently moved in and is on a fixed income.
No formal variance was granted at the meeting. Board members instructed the applicant to work with the building department and return if she had an official survey and revised plans. The authority did not take a final vote on a fence variance at the March 5 meeting.
