Title
Ordinance No. 16-19 amending Section 201 (Definitions Enumerated) of Part 2 (Definitions) of Article 2 (Basic Provisions, Definitions and Land Use Types and Classifications) and Section 102 (General Standards) of Part 1 (General Standards) of Article 4 (Site Development Standards) of Chapter 7 (Planning, Development and Building) of the Code of the City of Colorado Springs 2001, as amended, pertaining to fences and accessory structures. Legislative.
Presenter:
Ryan Tefertiller, Urban Planning Manager, Planning and Community Development
Body
Summary:
This proposal is to amend City Code to clarify zoning code regulations pertaining to fence height and accessory structures.
Previous Council Action:
The City's zoning code was adopted by City Council in 2001. Numerous minor revisions have been approved by City Council more recently. The specific code sections in question were last updated in 2012.
One minor change was made to the ordinance to reflect Council input at the January 25, 2016 Informal meeting.
Background:
The proposed ordinance amends existing code relative to two separate issues: fence height and accessory structure standards. The proposed changes improve the clarity of how the City regulates fences, fence height, and how fences on top of retaining walls are measured. Specifically, if a fence is within three feet of a retaining wall, then the height is measured from the base of the wall to the top of the fence; if a fence is more than three feet from a retaining wall, then the height of the fence and wall are measured independently. A new provision allows fence posts, poles, or finials to extend above the maximum height of the fence as long as they are spaced at least eight feet apart. These changes will clarify code and create more predictable standards that will benefit the community. Fence heights are limited to protect adjacent properties from excessively high structures blocking solar access and protect...
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