"CAN'T ALWAYS GET WHAT YOU WANT" rolling stones

Last Thursday I sat in on a Board of Zoning Appeal Meeting, I also try to make Planning Meetings also.
The people who serve on these to Boards are the ones the city should be most thankful of.
They as a group spend more time on an issue and far more discussion than even the City Council.

Last Thursday BZA meeting had one of my favorite subjects on the agenda. "A Fence". Before I tell you the story this one item fence took for over an hour to decide.

First the Fence (two ) run along the owners property line on the east and west side at the height of six feet. Now Painesville ordinance says only a fence of three foot should be allowed in the front of your house. There is no fence to connect the fence on the left to the fence on the right.

The reason for the two fences was that she cared for a rescued F.B.I dog and she wanted his 'sight' line cut down? As this dog is very possive and territorial. Now my former employer also rescued the same type of dog. Parent's should wish their children listened to them as well as that dog did. He didn't need a fence, nothing only his voice command. I watched as as many as four dogs run down the street and the dog never moved without his command.

Next the resident explained that the house to her east has been unoccupied for over two years, Also the house on her left had a neighbor that she claimed they weren't getting along with to well. That claim's her dog had bitten the neighbors dog. After I listened I felt she had not given good reasons to get a variance. It wasn't the dog, it seemed to be more about her surroundings The BZA agreed and the request was voted down 3-2. End of story let's all go home. No, next city attorney James Lyons brought up a solution that maybe if the resident agreed to some compromise of 4 feet for section one, 4 feet for section two, and 3 feet for the section nearest the sidewalk was a solution. I must question why he was giving any advise in the first place but he did.

Oh, I forgot one thing the resident never applied for a fence permit for this fence, or the one in her backyard erected fifteen years ago. Neither did the person who built the fence. He should have known better.

The moral to this story is simple. Screw getting any permit from the city, if you are caught throw yourself at the mercy of the BZA chances are if that won't work you can expect a city attorney to plead your case.

I have seen many issues such as this come up in the past couple of years. Once a garage was erected improperly, another time I watched a person taken to court for not rebuilding a torn down garage, and than another person allowed to erect a metal shed you can purchase at Sear's rather then build a new garage. I for one come away from these meetings wondering what just happened.

Now in this case the BZA did what was asked of them and even after the ruling the city attorney was looking for a solution that in my eyes confused the members of that board.

Again these people give up their time to serve on these committee's why have them at all if a city attorney or city manager can change things?

Monday's Council Meeting will be asked to define "What is a Family" anyone want to bet the planning commission spent more time and asks more questions than council will?