Fence variance granted

ZBA unanimously approves 4-foot white vinyl picket fence

It was zoning administrator Josh Mills’s birthday, and the Zoning Board of Appeals, chaired by Village Council president pro tempore Ken Holmes, held a public hearing and then a vote on a request for a fence height variance from Dave Zimmerman, of 755 Frankfort Avenue.

Zimmerman was the only member of the public in attendance; clerk Bobbi Benedict took minutes, and the ZBA consisted of Bill Soper, Ken Holmes, me, and Ryan Fiebing. Mills and the office received no letters or other comments regarding this variance request.

Zimmerman will now apply for a permit before the fence is installed. The work will be done by Fineline Fencing.

The project will also include a 54-foot-long, 6-foot-tall solid vinyl fence extending from the property’s garage to the edge of the front porch to create privacy from the Lighthouse Café and its dumpsters next door.

In his application Zimmerman stated that patrons of the Lighthouse Café sometimes wander on to his property or park there. Our zoning ordinance calls for fences in front yards to be no more than 3 feet high. The additional height for the picket fence, which will run 93 feet parallel to Frankfort Avenue and 98 feet along Acre Street, was requested to create a safer environment for a special needs child and the family dog. The fence will be set back three feet from the sidewalk on the Frankfort Avenue and Acre sides to help with visibility for drivers and pedestrians.

Bobbi Benedict has a remarkably good chocolate chip cookie recipe.