<div>I appreciate all the hard work that's going into this process (would that citizens always had such a good opportunity to hear, understand, and have input on legislative proposals!!!) and how difficult it is to find the right balance.
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<div> </div>
<div>Personally, I strongly agree with those who favor more stringent control over front fences -- let them be short and attractive -- and much less control over side and rear fences. In a town such as ours that has such a wide diversity of lot sizes and types of homes -- not to mention diversity of people! -- I think it prudent that the town adopt less stringent rules for side and rear fences. Be it for dogs, privacy or just good ol' personal preference, up to 6' fences seems reasonable for those who want them.
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<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 10/17/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Rob Oppenheim</b> <<a href="mailto:rob.oppenheim@comcast.net">rob.oppenheim@comcast.net</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<div>
<div><b><font face="Arial" size="3">Fence Meeting Status</font></b></div>
<div> </div><font face="Arial" size="3"></font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">The fence meeting on Monday 10/16 went well and will be </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">continued next week, probably on Thr Oct 26 at 8 pm although</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">the date and time is not yet firmly set (It might get switched</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">to Tuesday Oct 24.)</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3"> </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">We have not finished discussing fences and have not yet </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">discussed hedges.</font></div>
<div> </div><font face="Arial" size="3"></font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">Two people have spoken strongly against allowing tall side yard </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">fences and no one has yet spoken (at the meeting) in favor of </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">allowing them. So the likely outcome will be to limit side yard </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">fences to 4 feet and rear yard fences to 6 feet. </font></div>
<div> </div><font face="Arial" size="3"></font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">I will try to find the time tomorrow to summarize other discussions</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">from the fence meeting. Here is the tall vs short fence summary.</font></div>
<div> </div><b><font face="Arial" size="3"></font></b>
<div><b><font face="Arial" size="3">Arguments for banning tall fences run along these lines</font></b></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">1) Less Friendly -- tall fences inhibit over-the-fence conversations.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">2) Aesthetics -- tall fences are ugly and block open views.</font></div>
<div> </div><font face="Arial" size="3"></font>
<div><b><font face="Arial" size="3">1) Friendliness vs Privacy</font></b></div>
<div> </div><font face="Arial" size="3"></font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">I love saying hello to my neighbors over the rear fence. (I have great </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">neighbors). And I would certainly not want a privacy fence around any </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">part of my yard. </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3"> </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">For others, their home is their castle and they want to be left alone in </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">a private comfortable setting. Away from what they view as prying eyes. </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">A privacy fence is important to their comfort.</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3"> </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">So how do we legislative between people who love open friendly </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">neighborhoods and those who prefer more private settings? </font></div>
<div> </div><font face="Arial" size="3"></font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">My feelings are:</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">The front yard has the greatest impact on all, so I am OK with requiring</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">shorter open fences in the front yards. (Actually, I would prefer no front</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">yard fences at all, but so far, that has not caught on here in RP).</font></div>
<div> </div><font face="Arial" size="3"></font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">For the side and rear yards, I lean toward respecting property rights </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">and allowing the owner to choose between open and private yards. </font></div>
<div> </div><font face="Arial" size="3"></font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">Your views on this need to be heard!</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3"> </font></div>
<div><b><font face="Arial" size="3">2) Aesthetics </font></b></div>
<div> </div><b><font face="Arial" size="3"></font></b>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">There are some very attractive tall fences and some pretty ugly ones </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">too and some house styles do not lend themselves to tall side fences </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">at all, but is that a good reason to outlaw such fences for all homes? </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3"> </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">Legislating aesthetics is always problematic as people have different </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">views on what is or is not aesthetic. The proposed fence code requires</font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">rot resistant materials be used, so at least one source of the uglies </font></div>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">would be eliminated. </font></div>
<div> </div><font face="Arial" size="3"></font>
<div><font face="Arial" size="3">-Rob</font></div></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>TownTalk mailing list<br>To post to the list, send mail to <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:TownTalk@riverdale-park.org">
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