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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOct 11th BOT Appendix A.pdf Cayuga Heights Board Meeting Fence discussion Revised for October 11, 2011 A few months ago, I signed Ron Bors' petition against changing the existing fence ordinance. As I did then, I still fail to see how more extensive fencing is a community solution to the Village deer problem. Certainly people who had such fences would benefit,but it would make it harder for everyone else,people and deer alike,to co-exist, especially if many property owners turn to this so-called solution. Not everyone can afford to put up a fence or has property suitable for fencing, so unfenced properties will be even more subject to the ravages and dangers of deer shut out from areas they habitually visit and with even fewer places to graze and less territory to roam. For fence owners and their neighbors, in addition to the considerable expense,on both sides there are aesthetic and maintenance issues, especially as the fence and its surroundings weather and get older. Deer can and do jump over or through even very high fencing, sometimes getting injured or caught in the attempt. Property ownership can change as well, often resulting in differing ideas aboutaesdieties and maintenance responsibilities. When Ron Bors came around last spring,the first thing I thought of was what has happened in a Town of Ithaca neighborhood near mine where property owners have begun erecting extensive backyard fencing. The beautiful sweep of lawns that once existed there is gone, and there are fewer opportunities for children and adults to take safe and convenient shortcuts or to spontaneously play or visit with neighbors. Ruined views, differences i�ty"fe and quality, and new,unforeseen and unwanted, lanscaping issues for neighboring property owners are the result. In my opinion, changing the fencing ordinance is not a community solution. I hope the Village Board will consider carefully whether new fencing options will actually mean a solution to human/deer conflict or additional inconvenience and property damage for the majority of Villagers and increased hardship and lack of options for the deer until their numbers are reduced. Leslie Ungberg, Village resident 3 Winthrop Place Ithaca,NY COMMENTS ON PROPOSED CHANGES TO LOCAL LAW SECTION 9, "FENCES AND WALLS" I object to tall fences on or near street-front property lines for two reasons: Tall fences at street-front property lines would destroy the open look and feel of this beautiful community.And such emergency fences will be unnecessary when excessive deer populations are reduced. About the open look and feel of the Cayuga Heights landscape—a quality-of-life value that drew many of us to this community in the first place, a landscape that is much admired by visitors to the village. Imagine your favorite, spacious street (say Cayuga Heights Road,the Parkway,your own particular street) barricaded by corridors of tall fencing. Even if only one in ten property owners has tall fences at the street front,the public view-shed will be one of a Kansas City stockyard, the pheasant cages at Game Farm Road,some primitive zoo,or a penal colony—pick your worst nightmare. Allowing tall fences at the street front— by way of zoning— has as profound effect on the"look" of a village as requiring whitewashed houses with blue roofs. You are messing with the fundamental, cherished look of this special place,and—as elected officials —you are betraying the public trust. Secondly, total exclusion fences will not be necessary as the deer population returns to naturally sustainable levels. To the extent that drastic changes in fencing rules might have been an emergency, stop-gap measure several years ago —when deer remediation was a distant prospect—mega-fencing might have been sensible. Now we are starting a well-thought-out (if controversial) program of remediation. Let's give that program a chance to work—without miles of barricade fencing that will send disoriented deer into the roadways like some kind of Wall Street occupation. Respectfully submitted, 11 October 2011 H. Roger Segelken 114 Texas Lane hrs2@cornell.edu Fence Ordinance TO: Board of Trustees, Village of Cayuga Heights Tuesday,October 11,20114:12 PM TONIGHT YOU WILL BE CHOOSING BETWEEN TWO VERSIONS OF A PROPOSED FENCE ORDINANCE. A FEW MONTHS AGO, YOU WERE EACH PRESENTED WITH A PETITION, SIGNED BY 352 VILLAGERS WHO ARE OPPOSED TO 8' HIGH DEER FENCES ON ANY PROPERTY LINE. YOU WERE ALSO PRESENTED WITH INFORMATION, THAT INDICATED THE NUMBER OF PETITIONERS WHO SIGNED WAS A VERY HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THE PEOPLE CONTACTED. TO THE TRUSTEES WHO ARE WILLING TO REPRESENT THE VAST MAJORITY OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS, WE THANK YOU_ TO THE TRUSTEES WHO ATTEMPTED TO DISCREDIT THAT PETITION, OR CHOSE TO IGNORE IT, IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO CHANGE YOUR MIND, SO THAT YOU WILL REPRESENT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE. TO MAYOR SUPRON, IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO AVOID POLITICAL DISASTER. RESPECTFULLY, RONALD H. BORS 121 TEXAS LANE CAYUGA HEIGHTS 257-5640 Cayuga Heights Fence Issue Still Unresolved Recently, Villagers signed a survey stating that 8' property line fences would "eliminate our park-like atmosphere;" shift deer damage onto neighbors'yards; and increase accidents. All of which sounds reasonable except that: 1 our views were long ago compromised by the trees and hedges which have matured since the existing ordinance was written. Hedges - legal anywhere on a property - exclude deer while offering privacy to the owners, and have become our de facto "park-like atmosphere." 2 deer are in our neighbors' yards. Deer are the uninvited guests who eat too much at the party, leave their scat, and ignore our threats. 3 deer are also on our roads - crossing at will. Our neighboring Town of Ithaca has allowed 8' fences anywhere on a property since 2009, and has noted no undue neighborly ire or excess accidents. Were the signers of this survey told the existing ordinance has rarely been enforced? or that the ordinance has always allowed fences of any material or height as long as the property is large enough to accommodate the setback zones? It's these zones that lead to such bizarre situations as when adjacent neighbors build parallel side fences which create a 30' unusable corridor in between their properties! Fences to protect children, pets, privacy and landscaping; exclude scat, unpleasant views and foot/pet traffic; enclose and divide land, mark a boundary, provide beauty and protect against a potential hazard. All that is needed is simple, lot-line, 90% open fences which surround the property. Villagers with both large and small lots should have these benefits without submitting to a formal hearing to confirm what should be their legal right. Elizabeth Mount, Village of Cayuga Heights Yes they came to the door and claimed that they were supporting the existing height limit and did not want a higher fence approved. Not a repeal of anything as I remember. I actually thought of you and since it was presented as status quo did not think it would be a problem. Page 1 of 3 Mary Mills From: sally grubb [sally.grubb@gmail.com] Sent: Tuesday, October 11, 2011 1:42 PM To: Kate Supron; Diana Riesman; Beatrice Szekely; Stephen Hamilton; Robert Andolina; Christopher Crocker, Elizabeth Karns; Mary Mills Subject: Proposed Revisions to Fencing Ordinance and tonight's Trustees meeting Village Trustees: I am writing to you now by email because I may not be able to attend tonight's Trustees meeting and in any event may be too late for privilege of the floor. My comments are about the proposed changes to the Fencing Ordinance which you are discussing tonight and I hope these may be added into the minutes for the record. I had originally thought the meeting was postponed until next Monday and was planning on sending you a more detailed statement together with a CD with related images of Village fences to consider before that meeting. I will now do this so that you have this information before any public hearing which may be scheduled. I have no new comments to make about the proposed changes. You have heard my views many times before. People who garden need to be able to protect their plantings even if they are within 25ft of the property line. People with small children need to be able to keep deer and deer scat off their whole property to allow them to play in safety. People with small yards need to be allowed privacy from their neighbors as well as protection from deer. Don't say "grow a hedge" —with the current deer population this is just not an option. You may say that to us when the culling has had an impact on deer numbers. However, I will take the opportunity to answer the claims made by Ron Bors when he submitted his petition against any changes to the fencing ordinance which was signed by 352 Village residents but represented only approximately 230 properties. Mr. Bors states: "We recognize that there is an advantage to an individual property owner who wishes to enclose his yard with tall fences to exclude the deer. However, this is more than offset by the following three disadvantages to the village as a whole: 10/11/2011 Page 2 of 3 "The allowance of tall fences on any property line (and the front yard exclosures), will drastically change the open character of our village, thereby eliminating the "park-like atmosphere"that we all have enjoyed. "The burden of deer damage will not be lessened, it will only be shifted to adjacent neighbors. "If more property is fenced, the deer will be in the roads a greater percentage of the time, thereby increasing the number of car-deer accidents. There is absolutely no evidence to support any of these three claims. The allowance of 8ft high 90% deer fencing on property lines will in no way drastically change the open character of our village and eliminate its park-like atmosphere. There is very little open space in the Village any more. Many properties are surrounded by hedgerows, trees and in many places scrub land which makes ideal deer habitat. The few park like vistas we have left are mostly provided by the very large yards which have the space for fencing well back from their property lines. People like their privacy and most long distance park views are broken with trees, dense hedges and solid fencing. Some of the most beautiful yards in the Village, which one can see either by invitation or from the street, are only made possible by high fences. There are already high temporary fences in the Village which are not in compliance with the current ordinance. Many of these are almost invisible. If the ordinance is changed to make these fences compliant, all that will happen is that property owners will be able to make these fences permanent, stronger, and most likely better looking. The park like vistas will not change. Deer are already eating everything everywhere in the village that is not behind a fence. Nothing will change if deer fencing becomes legal. Rather the deer will have access to less food and so perhaps breed less successfully and not raise so many twins and triplets. The deer which try to get over my fence already browse my neighbors yard. Some raise their fawns there. How is it that fencing properties will cause the deer to be in the roads more often? This statement makes no sense at all. Deer wander across roads from one grazing area to the next. If there is no grazing area in a front yard because of a fence the deer will not be there to wander across the road. Fencing can in fact reduce the number of places deer cross the roads. We are not asking to be allowed to put up ugly solid stockade type fencing on our property lines. We can already do that 25ft and 15ft from front and side lines. We are asking to be 10/11/2011 Page 3 of 3 allowed to put up 8ft high good looking fencing that, above 4 ft, is 90% open. There will not be many people putting up front yard fences on property lines. But property owners with small front yards must be allowed to protect their property without recourse to the law. I am asking to be allowed to cultivate my entire yard. Indeed an exclosure can keep the deer out but so does it keep me out and makes gardening and weeding extremely difficult. An exclosure that is only allowed on 75% of the front property line is no use at keeping out the deer from the rest of my yard. Images will follow later this week. Sally Grubb Sally Grubb 104 Midway Road Ithaca, NY 14850 607 257-6017 10/11/2011