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PLANNING REPORT DATE: 13 November, 1991 CASE NUMBER: 2400 APPLICANT: RosePointe Senior Housing LOCATION: 2545 Hamline Ave. N. ACTION REQUESTED: variance (Fence Height) PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS: 1. BACKGROUND Rosepointe has been working for some time to come up with a solution to screen the driveway and parking area of its senior citizen housing complex from the backyard of its neighbors, Bunde and Neilson, to the south of the project. The main driveway from the south into the complex from Hamline Avenue is within a few feet of the backyard of the Neilson home, exposing that yard to unusual noise and activity. A fence is proposed that would screen this yard, but the Code will allow a fence to be no more than 4' high within the 30' front yard setback from the Hamline Avenue right-of-way. The proposed fence is 5' high, with 6' high pillars, right out to the property line. It would be contructed similar to the existing fence along the front of the Rosepointe project. A lower fence would not completely screen the yard from the dri veway, and a fence set back 30' from the right-of-way would only screen a portion of the neighbor's yard. The disruption caused by the RosePointe parking lot was not fully anticipated at the time it was built and perhaps could have been avoided. In the current circumstances, however, there is a practical difficulty in completely screening the neighbor's yard with a fence that meets the strict letter of the Code. There may be a question about visibility past the fence for cars entering Hamline Avenue from the Rosepointe driveway. However, for most cars, the difference between a 4' high fence and a 5' high fence may not be critical. If signed adequately, the driveway entrance past the new fence could be made safe.