DALTON, Mass. — The Zoning Board of Appeals approved a variance to install a fence 26 feet off the center of the road at the residence located at 112 Kimberly Drive. 

 

The board said it approved this variance because the property's topography and shape makes it difficult to adhere to the town's bylaw. 

 

The bylaw requires that fences be installed 50 feet in from the center of the road and requires a 4-foot fence.

 

The installation of a 6-foot colonial style fence is an the effort to improve security, obtain more privacy, and lessen visibility of a lot that has become overgrown, Eric Pratt said. 

 

The fence will connect to the house to make the property safer for his children, he said. 

 

The installation of the fence will not affect drivers' visibility when turning onto Barton Hill Road from Kimberly Drive because it is 100 feet from the corner. 

 

Putting a fence 50 feet in from the center of the street makes the 6-foot fence meaningless from a privacy standpoint, Pratt said during the last meeting. 

 

In an email interaction between himself and Building Commissioner and Zoning Enforcement Officer Brian Duval, Pratt said planting trees closer to the street would block even more visibility than the 6-foot fence. 

 

Due to the "drastic slope" from the road the installation of the 6-foot fence would "be more like a 4-foot fence from the street level," he said during the previous meeting. 

 

During deliberations board members noted that if Pratt installed the fence in accordance with the bylaw it would be very close to the swing set on the side of the house. 

 

Zoning Board Chairman Anthony Doyle had member Caleb Darby run the public hearing to avoid a conflict of interest. Doyle is one of Pratt's neighbors. Doyle also abstained from the vote.