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Homeowner cites privacy and safety concerns in fence variance request
Summary
Homeowner Salvatore Taurasi told the Shorewood Board of Appeals that lowering the fence to 4 feet would expose the kitchen to view from a neighbor's driveway and could create a trip hazard from the porch; the board granted a variance to allow a 6-foot fence.
Salvatore Taurasi, the homeowner at 4067 North Lake Drive, told the board he replaced a prior fence destroyed in a storm and that the contractor advised a replacement would not require a permit. Taurasi asked the board to allow the 6-foot privacy fence, saying lowering the fence at the back door would reduce privacy and create a safety hazard because the porch is about 2 feet above ground: "a 4 foot fence would be only 2 feet above the surface of the porch, which ... could cause me to come out the back door and trip over the fence and fall."
Inspector Burris responded that new work must conform to current code and noted his office had no record of a prior formal approval for the older 6-foot fence, though street view showed a 6-foot fence had existed. Board members considered the privacy and safety testimony along with the property's irregular footprint and the absence of neighbor objections before voting to grant the variance.
