By Krystal Smalley
ksmalley@wbcowqel.com
The Bucyrus City Board of Zoning Appeals granted a fence variance for an East Street property Tuesday afternoon.
Ricki Schifer, Jr., 927 S. East Street, requested a variance to place a six-foot privacy fence 14 feet from the pavement of Nora Street. City code requires the fence to be set back 20 feet.
Schifer had removed bushes from the edge of his property, which had been planted by a previous owner. A six-foot high cedar privacy fence will replace the bushes, though the fence will be set further back than the bushes had been but not as far back as required by the city. Schifer wanted the fence to line up with the edge of his home.
Two responses from neighbors had been submitted to the city. One neighbor had no objections while another previously had objections but after further consideration found no objection to the fence placement.
Planning and Zoning Administrator John Rostash stated that a fence is required to be three feet off the right-a-way line. In Schifer’s case, the fence will be placed four to five feet from the pavement of the alley.
Council President Sis Love noted that the alley often gets used. She said she was glad that the fence would sit five feet back from the pavement, which would allow for more room and a better view when exiting the alley.
“Visibility will be a lot better,” Love said.
“I think for an alley that’s plenty of room,” Service/Safety Director Jeff Wagner said.
The Board of Zoning Appeals granted the variance.
The board is expected to review a request to turn the former ambulance building on W. Mary St. into apartments at the next meeting. The meeting for that request has yet to be scheduled.