Planning board on the fence

Fence heights in front yards became a major issue of discussion at the July 8 Saratoga Planning Commission meeting.

A debate which started at the April meeting, planning commission members have been discussing setting limits to fence height in front yards. Some concerns brought up were high fence with low visibility would restrict the view of a driver pulling into the roadway and could result in car wrecks.

According to town of Saratoga engineer Chuck Bartlett, the current fencing ordinance states any front yard fence over 42 inches must have 50 percent visibility. Any fence higher than eight feet requires a special building permit.

The problem with 42 inches, Bartlett said, was most building materials only come in 36 or 48 inch heights.

The ordinance proposed at the the July 8 meeting would call for a 48-inch height in the front yard, with a minimum 50 percent visibility in fencing higher than four feet.

However, several members of the board were concerned the proposed fencing would not keep deer out of residents’ yards. Board members were unsure how high fencing would have to be to prevent deer from jumping into yards.

Chairman Rory Grubb, who owns two homes within Saratoga, said the planning commission needs to consider different neighborhoods.

“What I would want for one house is completely different than what I would want for another house,” he said.

After deliberation, planning commission members came to a consensus to ask for public feedback. The ordinance was tabled for later discussion.

Board members also discussed the roles of the planning commission with the master plan.

After receiving a $49,000 community development block grant which will go towards hiring a consultant to draft a master plan design, the town of Saratoga will be assembling a steering committee consisting of several town residents.

After discussions with Mayor John Zeiger, Cooksey said Zeiger’s intention was to place one member of the board on the steering committee. Board members appeared to want Grubb to be the planning commission representative on the steering committee due to him being a planning commission member for more than 10 years. However, no final selection has been made.

The planning commission is starting to thin out, as Rod Weinman officially submitted his letter of resignation.

Weinman’s letter stated he had not been able to attend planning commission meetings due to time conflicts with his job.

Weinman is the second planning commission member to resign in as many months, as Bob Thrasher resigned in June.

The next planning commission meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m on Aug. 12 at Saratoga Town Hall.