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Commission adopts zoning change to clarify corner-lot fence heights; resident warns of sightline risks
Summary
The Plan Commission adopted a text amendment to Section 4-20-81 allowing a 6-foot fence in specific corner-front-yard scenarios and clarifying rules for vacant-lot fencing; Pleasant Prairie resident Brent Brandenburg warned that the change could create sightline and driveway-visibility hazards.
The Plan Commission approved a zoning text amendment to Section 4-20-81 clarifying residential fence standards. Staff explained the change would add an exception to the 4-foot maximum in a front-street yard for corner lots when the adjacent corner lot’s common property line is classified as the side-street or rear-street yard, allowing a 6-foot fence in that narrow circumstance; staff also proposed clarifying that a fence around a vacant property may not exceed 4 feet.
During public comment, resident Brent Brandenburg urged caution and said the amendment could create safety and aesthetic problems in practice, warning that in some configurations "you're putting your car out in the street before you can see anybody," and urged the commission to consider driveway sightlines and the potential for asymmetrical 'good side/bad side' fencing outcomes. Staff and commissioners responded that vision triangles at intersections and a two-foot setback from the property line remain requirements and that permits and recorded agreements govern unusual attachments. The motion to approve the zoning text amendment was moved, seconded and approved by voice vote.
