12-07-1995 Special Called Public Hearing and Regular Session of the La Porte Planning and Zoning Commission

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• • • Staff Report Residential Fencing Standards January 18, 1996 The City's residential fencing standards are contained in Zoning Ordinance, Section 10-~08. These standards include regulations regarding • setbacks • fence height • use of barbed wire These standards are, in staff's opinion, reasonable and workable. To date, no input has been provided regarding any of these standards. An issue in which there does appear to be a need for more stringent regulation is that of acceptable fencing materials. Presently, the Zoning Ordinance does not provide a great deal of regulation or guidance in this area. Although, to date, the problem has only arisen occasionally. The City has received complaints regarding certain types of fencing; most notably the use of corrugated metal for residential fencing. Staff would recommend against creating a list of specific materials that can be utilized as fencing. This would be overly limiting. Two possible alternatives are as follows: • Prohibit the uses of corrugated material as fencing outside of Industrial Zones. • Establish a list of specific materials that can be used for construction of privacy or screening fences. There are other options for addressing this issue and staff would welcome input and suggestions from the Commission. The issue is, at this time, being presented to the Commission as a discussion item. The Commission may • choose one of the specified options and direct staff to schedule a public hearing for its consideration. • choose a third option and move to public hearing. • direct staff to research the issue further. • choose to allow the ordinance to stand as is without amendment.