Christine Vermeulen Hanchey will be able to keep her 28 feet of wooden fence in the Old Orange Historic District.
All three attending members of the City of Orange Historic Preservation Commission voted to give a certificate of appropriateness for the fence Monday evening.
Commission Chair Ben Meadows said it was a hard decision for him because Hanchey did not follow city ordinances to get a building permit for the fence. If she had gotten the permit, the problems would have been taken care of before the fence was built, he said.
The city contended the scalloped wooden fence at 711 Eighth Street was in the front yard. Solid fences are not allowed in front yards anywhere in the city. Hanchey contended the wooden fence, which replaced an old chain link fence with hedges, was part of the backyard. The fence did not cover any part of the front of the house.
Meadows admitted the house was an “odd duck.” Apparently the front of the house had been moved from facing Orange Avenue to facing Eighth Street. The change was made decades ago. The original fence may have been erected when the spot would have been in the back yard.
Hanchey’s husband built the section of fence and she had said she didn’t know they needed a permit to replace a fence.
About 20 residents of the historic district walked through pouring rain and puddles to attend the meeting to support Hanchey. They said the fence looks nice and the city should look into trash in the area rather than a fence.
The Historic Preservation Commission has five spots. The volunteer commissioners apply for the positions and are appointed by City Council. One spot is currently open. Curtis Jeanis was recently appointed. He, along with Meadows and Suzanne Perry approved the certificate of appropriateness. Harry Wood, who is also on the commission, was absent.
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