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ATTACHMENT . Town of Los Altos Hills November.13, 2003 Staff Report to the Planning Commission RE: PROPOSED FENCES, WALLS, GATES,AND COLUMNS ORDINANCE §10-1.507. FROM: Angelica Herrera Olivera, Assistant Planner APPROVED BY: Carl Cahill, Planning Director C.C, RECOMMENDATION That the Planning Commission: 1. Review the staff report and attached ordinance, consider any revisions, and forward a recommendation to the City Council. BACKGROUND On September 13, 2003, the Planning Commission and City Council had a joint meeting to review and discuss a number of issues including the fence ordinance. Regarding the fence ordinance, the issues to be considered at the time of study included: consideration of the impact of fences on conservation easements; the loss of wildlife habitat; and the effect of solid fencing on view corridors. The Council then directed staff to prepare the appropriate ordinance for review by the Planning Commission and adoption by the City Council. Staff is recommending that the fences, walls, gates, and columns ordinance be incorporated as a section of Article 5 "Area, Coverage, Height, and Setback Limitations" of the Zoning Ordinance. DISCUSSION The current fence code section lies within the Height Ordinance of the Zoning Code, as seen in Table 1. In June of 2002,the Planning Commission recommended that the City Council consider adopting a new section within the Zoning Ordinance pertaining exclusively to fences. In order to weave the principles of the Town's General Plan into the proposed fence ordinance, staff requested and received recommendations from the Environmental Design and Protection Committee and Open Space Committee. Staff also considered the Town of Woodside's Fences, Walls, Gates, Pylons, and Berms Ordinance, as well as, past comments received from residents, in developing the proposed fence ordinance. The proposed ordinance contains regulations on open fences, solid fences and walls, entry gates and columns, deer fencing, fence color, and prohibited fence types. Fences, walls, gates, and columns are individual architectural elements that collectively address two primary concerns of residents: safety and privacy. The general objective of the Town's Land Use Element is to "provide, amidst open spaces, residential uses and the minimum public and private facilities...necessary to serve Town residents on a continuing basis." As the minimum parcel size within Town is at least one acre, the majority of residents utilize these large lots for private residential and recreational purposes, many amidst open space and conservation easements. Providing standards and regulations on fences, walls, gates, and columns will help residents enjoy and maintain the Town's'rural character and natural atmosphere, while ensuring their safety and privacy.