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Item No: 6A Meeting Date: October 7, 2015 Type of Business: Other Planning Activity City of Mounds View Staff Report To: Mounds View Planning Commission From: Heidi Heller, Planning Associate Item Title/Subject: Review Proposed Code Amendment for Fence Height on Corner Lots; Special Planning Case SP-198-15 Discussion: At the September 2, 2015 Planning Commission meeting, the Commission discussed allowing 6-foot or 8-foot fences in the second front yard of corner lots. The Zoning Code currently allows fences up to 4-feet tall in any part of a property. Fences that are taller than 4-feet are only allowed behind the front line of the house (the Zoning Code allows fences up to 8-feet tall). Properties that are on corners have two front yards and therefore are limited in where they can put a taller fence. Property owners want the taller fences for privacy and safety, and the Planning Commission has been very understanding of this and approved every fence height variance request. Commissioners have suggested that the zoning code should be amended to allow for these taller fences since there have been several variance requests for taller fences and they are always approved. The Planning Commission agreed that it’s time to amend the zoning code to allow for over 4- foot tall fences on corner lots. The Commission suggested allowing up to a 6-foot fence in the second front yard of a corner lot with at least a 1 foot setback on the street frontage side. A fence taller than six feet on a corner lot would still need to go through the variance process. Staff has made some additional amendment suggestions to this section based on issues that have come up: - Specified that no plantings, not just trees and shrubs, over 30-inches tall are allowed in the 30-foot sight triangle at intersections, - No fence or wall may interfere with natural drainage, - Public or semi-public properties may have fences up to 8-feet tall in any yard area.