The City Council is beginning the process of a potential ordinance concerning tethering and chaining animals. If this ordinance is adopted, any rules pertaining to fencing need to be in place so a home owner will know what is allowable in their neighborhood.
Front yard perimeter fencing may be acceptable in some neighborhoods depending on the materials used, the type housing in the neighborhood, etc. It may enhance in some cases and not in others.
I look forward to discussing this issue with neighborhoods and building a plan that fits theirneighborhood. If you’re still not sure what you’d like in your neighborhood….just ride around. Although many people believe that they are protected by restrictive covenants…you’d be surprised how many subdivisions are not. Many have a sunset of 30 years.
Below is a blog concerning fencing that I wrote in July 2008. I have reposted this hoping it may help explain some of the thought process concerning this subject.
Would you like a 6 foot, chain link, barbed wire fence in the front yard beside your house? That is exactly what is happening in different neighborhoods in Sanford. There is currently no ordinance regulating this type fencing. Unless your neighborhood has restrictive covenants regulating fencing, this could happen in many areas of the city.
There is no doubt the aesthetic value of homes and neighborhoods decline with this type fencing. It also sends a negative tone to the neighbors, and to the people passing by, to see a barbed wire fence in a front yard. The important question we must ask is why these residents feel they need this type fencing?
There could be many different reasons:
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Is safety the concern? Do these residents not feel safe in their home?
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Are these residents trying to keep something inside the fence? Do they have pets that could possibly be a danger to the rest of the neighborhood?
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Are these residents from other cities or environments that commonly have these type fences?
This is a very complicated issue. All of the above reasons must be considered. City Council began addressing the issue of fencing in 2006. During this period, an ordinance was almost brought before Council for a vote. Revisiting the different details continued to move this issue backward instead of forward. There are many things that must be considered when discussing this subject.
Things that must be considered:
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What types of fencing will be allowed?
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What heights would be acceptable?
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What about decorative fencing?
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How will walls on property lines be classified?
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What would the setbacks be for front yards, side yards, and back yards?
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Would existing fences be grandfathered or would there be a sunset date for removal of the fences out of code?
There are many, many questions that need to be answered. East Sanford seems to have the majority of front yard fences. This problem is beginning to move to other areas of the city. I could not imagine a six foot, chain link, front yard fence in any neighborhood in Ward 1. I do not believe they should be in any areas zoned residential, however this could happen in most neighborhoods.
I have asked that this subject be revisited by Council as soon as possible. There will be more discussion on this issue very soon. If you have any questions or comments, please call Steve Brewer at 919-770-9587. You may also contact any Council Member. Their contact numbers are located on the city web site. www.sanfordnc.net.
I’ll leave my response from the previous post to stand on its own:
http://sanfordcityblog.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/192/
There is some other good feedback in that earlier post as well.
But succinctly (unlike my post above
) I think that tall compound-like front yard fencing is aesthetically unpleasant, devalues surrounding property through that impression, and actually can increase criminal activity.
There are several topics that fall under ‘appearance code’ I personally would like considered, and in this case would support code to minimize these types of fencing within Sanford city limits.
Do some searches online for treatises on this subject. Although there definitely are varying opinions, there is a great deal of anecdotal and actual evidence suggesting that these types of fences exacerbate the criminal problem directly and indirectly; the former by providing ‘cover’ for criminals to case and victimize property, and the latter by breaking down community ties that otherwise strengthen neighborhoods against the problems these fences ostensibly are there to reduce.
And even without any studies, surveys, or other objective data, we all know the impression neighborhoods ‘fortified’ with bars and fences convey. That impression does not encourage investment or attract families. Instead it can perpetuate the environment the fences are railing against.
Al
What are your thoughts on fences that are in this catagory that already exist……..remove? grand father? As I stated befroe. This is a complicated, non black and white issue.
Existing fences are indeed a challenge if the ordinance changes.
Ideally wouldn’t it be nice if one could just ‘flip a switch’ and a neighborhood’s appearance could improve overnight, criminal activity decrease, traffic slow down, etc? But unfortunately we know all these changes are gradual. So I don’t know know if it is reasonable to ask residents to change or remove something they’ve installed to counter these concerns before they too abate.
Also, is it fair to demand that a property owner undo something that was erected lawfully years or even days prior? I don’t know.
Perhaps an approach that we use in building code and the Historic Preservation Commission may be an option to consider? In those cases the existing construction is ‘grandfathered’ until it is ‘touched’. But once someone modifies or repairs the structure, the new code applies.
In this case it would apply that once someone modifies or repairs the fence, it would be disallowed. One catch-22 that can arise here though is that some residents may let the fences deteriorate and become even more unsightly or unsafe in an attempt to avoid removing it altogether. To counter this there would need to be health, safety, and appearance code to address the condition of the fence as well.
It’s a tough subject, but this isn’t a problem unique or new to Sanford alone. Many cities have enacted similar ordinances, so perhaps another avenue of research is to see how other cities have addressed the issue?
Al
It is my opinion that the role of government is to *protect* my rights — not limit them. I do not want the City Council telling me what I can and cannot put on *my proprty*. Unless there is an immediate threat to public safety. I don’t see why the City wants/needs to get involved determining what types of fences folks should have. Aethetics is *not* an issue for the City Council.
If someone is concerned about what their neighbors might build, then they need to move to a neighborhood with a covenant.
What’s next? Will the City seek to limit the type of hedges I can plant along my property lines? Will bushes with pricks and briers be forbidden because someone walking on the sidewalk might be “harmed”?
How about putting sidewalks on *all* city streets? That would (IMHO) go a *lot* further to improving the aesthetics of the city. Unless I’m mistaken, the city gets a certain easement from the sidewalk, that could be used to limit how far folks put their fences.
Unfortunately, there are neighborhoods that were protected and now are not. Many homeowners do not even realize that their covenants have expired. Some had none to begin with. For public safety reasons…I believe barbed wire fencing has no place in a residential neighborhood.
Aethestics is a major concern for many people in our city. I believe in a homeowners rights and also believe in protecting neighbors property values. If you look at the house on the corner of Hill Avenus and Bennett Street. Does this help or hurt this neighborhood as a whole? With the diversity we see in our neighborhoods….unfortunately in some cases…..government may have to play some type of roll.
Thank you for your comments.