Monte Sereno commission approves 6-foot fence and vehicular gate for Ridgecrest property

The Monte Sereno Site and Architectural Commission voted June 3 to approve a site development permit (2026-3029) allowing a six-foot-high fence and a vehicular gate in the front yard of a property on Ridgecrest near Scott Lane. City planner Eunice Vaughn told commissioners the application required a permit because Monte Sereno Municipal Code limits front-yard fence height to three feet without a site development permit.

"Staff recommends the approval of the site development permit," Vaughn said, noting the application met the findings listed in the site development permit standards and pointing out a typographical error in the staff report about the height of the stone veneer columns. She identified the application number as "site development permit number 2026Dash3029" during her presentation.

Architect Noel Cross, representing the applicant, said the gate was located down the driveway to provide approximately 38 feet of clear paved space so a stopped vehicle would not block the roadway. "Every week, we get 3, 4 people coming up here, and they live in our driveway, their headlights in our house," Cross said, describing repeated incursions and a desire to enclose the yard (which includes a pool) for safety and privacy. He told commissioners existing irrigation will be tapped to water the landscaping and described how the sliding vehicular gate and a separate pedestrian gate would be arranged behind stone pillars.

Commissioners asked about landscaping timing, irrigation, tree placement and slope constraints cited by the fire department; Cross said the gate was sited on the flattest available segment between existing trees and that fire-safety slope limits influenced placement. Commissioners also asked whether neighbors had objected; Cross said he had contacted neighbors and received no written or oral objections.

After discussion about compatibility with neighborhood character, a commissioner moved and another seconded approval of the project subject to the draft staff memorandum. The transcript records roll-call approvals by the commissioners present and the chair. Following the vote, the commission adjourned.

The permit allows the applicant to exceed the typical three-foot front-yard height limit for fencing where a site development permit has been granted. Any specific conditions in the draft memorandum were not read into the transcript; the staff report and recorded motion were referenced by the commission as the basis for approval.