The Board of Zoning Appeals is meeting 10/21/2024 at 7:30PM.
They have one variance request on the agenda which is a request from a homeowner on Stratford Lane to erect a 6-foot-tall fence 1 foot from their front property line. The Zoning Ordinance limits the height of fences within 20 feet of the front yard lot line to no more that 3 feet in height.
The house is on a corner so has two front yards. The owner states, “The unique physical characteristics of the property include its trapezoidal shape and higher grade of the house relative to the sidewalk. The trapezoidal shape makes a 20ft setback fence impractical as a large portion of the functional backyard and side yard would be outside of fence bounds.” Additionally, the homeowner also indicates that the grade of the lot, which is 3 feet higher than the sidewalk causes privacy and security issues that are unique to that property.
City staff do not believe that the physical characteristics of the property meet the qualifications to allow a variance in this situation. They believe it is still possible to erect a 6-foot-tall fence in the rear yard that was code compliant, and they note that “privacy and security are not entitlements that the Zoning Ordinance ensures for residents.” Additionally, they are concerned that a 6-foot-tall fence would cause vision obstructions.
The property owner supplemental documentation trying to demonstrate that a 6-foot-tall fence would not cause vision obstructions, pointing to an example of a variance that was granted for a 6-foot-tall front-yard fence on another property, and showing ways in which other residents, in an effort to increase their privacy, had caused greater vision obstructions on corners than what was proposed with this fence.
View full meeting details here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1232018&GUID=B49E535C-5CD3-4B23-800A-9ACE9737C76E
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