The Saratoga Planning Commission is going to take more time to examine the fencing ordinance.
At their Nov. 13 meeting, planning commission members decided they would wait until a full board is present to make a decision. There were only four members of the seven-person board present at the meeting.
The planning commission has discussed revising the ordinance since April 2014. The commission also deliberated establishing a sub-committee to finish an ordinance, though no action was taken on the matter.
The public hearing, held before the regularly scheduled meeting, heard arguments for and against raising the front yard heights. Resident Kani Siefert said she was in favor of raising the fence heights in town. She said a four-foot fence in the front yard, with 75 percent visibility in fencing up to seven feet, would help keep the deer out of her yard. Siefert said deer have been accessing her front yard and destroying her garden.
Keeping deer out of yards has been the primary reason behind the ordinance being altered.
After talking with constituents, board member Tom Knickerbocker said he has heard more comments against raising the fence heights than for it. He also said after researching other ordinances on front-yard fences, most municipalities restrict any type of fencing above four feet.
Knickerbocker said his main concern with taller fences is safety. Even with 75 percent visibility above four feet in front-yard fencing, he said there can be situations where visibility restrictions cause potential hazards.
“I think we should keep it the way it is,” Knickerbocker said. “I think there are safety issues here … when I speak to the residents about this issue, the ones who speak against increasing the fence heights heavily outweigh those who speak in favor of it.”
Another concern board members say needs to be addressed is how allowing higher fencing will impact the integrity the appearance of the neighborhood. Members discussed the possibility of having all residents within one block of the resident of a proposed fence increase sign off before a fence can be built.
After deliberation, the commission decided to table the ordinance for a later meeting.
The next Saratoga Planning Commission meeting will take place at 5:30 p.m. on Dec. 9 at Saratoga Town Hall.
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