Saratoga News
News
Planning discusses blight, news rack, fence ordinances
By Shannon Burkey
The Saratoga Planning Commission held a study session on Aug. 7 to discuss three issues that have been weighing heavily on the minds of several residents--unsightly houses, news racks placed randomly throughout the city and how high a neighbor's fence can be.
The commission was seeking feedback from the community on the three issues in hopes of creating ordinances on blight and news racks, and updating the outdated fence ordinance.
The three ordinances to be discussed came up because many residents have voiced concerns through the years about the lack of an ordinance to address certain issues or the need to change an ordinance, said community development director John Livingstone.
The blight ordinance, which would address houses that are unkempt and overgrown with weeds and trees, brought about 15 residents to the study session, each with a complaint of a house in their neighborhood that has become an eyesore.
"We apparently have a couple of houses in Saratoga that are real issues for the neighbors in terms of the way they look," said commission chairwoman Joyce Hlava.
In the past, the city has not had the power to enforce the cleanup of houses in the city because no ordinance was in place, despite residents' pleas about specific houses.
The purpose of the blight ordinance would be to require a "minimum level of maintenance of private property to protect the livability, appearance and social and economic stability of the city."
The ordinance will spell out the general requirements of upkeep of the house, as well as landscape requirements.
Although nearly everyone in attendance supported the ordinance, one resident said it sounded as if the city wanted to punish someone who did not have enough money to landscape and irrigate his yard.
Commissioner Suzie Nagpal said the ordinance was a real opportunity to beautify Saratoga and that she would like to see the city find ways to help those who can't afford to meet the landscaping requirements.
Several residents spoke to the commission about the specific conditions of houses in their neighborhoods and what they would like to see done, but Nagpal said the ordinance should not be focused on the condition of a specific house.
Residents at the meeting said they are looking for "green and clean" and hoping the city will finally address the issue of blighted properties.
The news rack and fence ordinances did not garner any public feedback, but commissioners discussed the issues among themselves.
The news rack ordinance came to the city's attention because currently it does not have one.
"Right now people are just plopping news racks down wherever they feel like it," Hlava said. Because of all the First Amendment issues, you have to have a policy in place to be able to remove them."
The ordinance would require a permit to have a news rack in the city, and the city would regulate where they can be placed and how they will look. Commissioners asked that the ordinance state they must be earth-toned to blend in more with the surroundings.
The fence ordinance differs from the other two in that it already exists. The city is looking to update it and create some exceptions to it.
"It sounds simple, but it turns out it's not that simple," Hlava said.
Currently, the fence ordinance allows for a maximum 6-foot fence on residential property, but property owners often try to get around the height limit.
The commission directed staff to add an exception to the ordinance for height and materials and to rewrite it so that it is easier for residents to understand.
All three ordinances must go back to the planning commission for a public hearing before they can be approved. After planning commission approval, they will go before the city council for final approval.
As the issues go back before the commission, Hlava said she hopes residents will come out and let the commission know what they would like to see in the ordinances.
