Board approves 6‑foot privacy fence on North Ridgeville corner lot

North Ridgeville — The Board of Zoning and Building Appeals unanimously approved a variance allowing a six‑foot, solid vinyl privacy fence to replace an existing six‑foot wood fence at 6651 Nicole Drive.

Homeowner Aaron Hartke testified that he and his spouse bought the house about 18 months earlier and sought to replace an older, failing six‑foot wooden fence with a new white vinyl privacy fence. The property is a corner lot; the city treats both street frontages as front yards under the zoning code, which limits front‑yard fences to 4 feet in height and requires 50% openness (Section 1294.01(h)(2)(a)).

Planning staff reviewed the property's history and reported that the city issued permits for a six‑foot wood fence at the same location in August 1983 and again in 1997. The staff summary said the existing fence has been in place for decades and is set well back from intersection sight lines, reducing visibility and safety concerns.

Hartke said the taller solid fence preserves privacy and prevents a large dog from jumping out. “We just wanted to basically take that one down and erect a new vinyl white fence, all privacy,” Hartke told the board. Planning staff and board members said the fence's long history and its distance from the corner sight lines weighed in favor of approval.

A motion to approve the variance carried unanimously on a roll call of Kane, Toth and Masterson. The clerk told the applicants they may pick up their permit beginning Monday.