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&. Any vegetation with thorns or fruit should be restricted to establishment at least 5 feet away from public <br />rights of way. Thorns pose an obvious danger, especially when thorny trees are handing over the sidewalk at <br />eye level. Fruit, such as that of the Flowering Crabapple, can cause a pedestrian to slip and lose their balance <br />and fall. <br />STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff recommends approval of the fencing with the gates. The Surveyor <br />Location Report indicates a privacy fence along the rear and left property line of 844 Forest which no longer <br />exists. The new four foot fence with gates would enclose the rest of the yard from the side at the angled <br />window and would mirror the style of the 6 foot fence and would not detract from the house. Staff also <br />recognizes an alternate site for the side four foot fence with gate could be behind the concrete steps if the <br />owner so desires. <br />Staff recommends approval of the flowering crab apple tree as long as it can be located in the yard so that <br />when is reaches maturity it does not drop fruit on the side walk. Owners may wish to consider an alternate <br />flowering tree or a crabapple variety that has small fruit. <br />Klusczinski: Please state your name and address for the record. <br />Guisinger: My name is Alexandra Guisinger, I live at 844 Forest Avenue. Thank you for <br />putting my house on the agenda at such late notice. We are requesting a backyard, not <br />only because we have two small boys, but also unfortunately we have been broken into 3 <br />times this summer and two times prior to that. There was a bright Barbie pink security <br />fence that matched our pink house that we currently have and rather than replace that <br />with another security fence, we propose to have a slightly more attractive custom built <br />fence. The fence will be cut so as to maintain a tree in the corner of our lot. I know, my <br />husband and I discussed the staff suggestion about the alternative location of the front. <br />We'd actually originally envisioned having it where that alternative suggestion was. We <br />prefer the where we'd like it for a couple of reasons; one, given the last break in I'd like <br />to cover the side door if possible. Having that open gives people the opportunity to <br />pretend that they're knocking on that door, having a gate in front of that would at least <br />block one more door in theory. And the other reason is that with two small children <br />obviously the larger the backyard the more space to venture out. And as to the crab <br />apple, my mother has sent me information on a very small crab apple that she grows in <br />the backyard that I want to replicate. It's very small, cherry like apples. The crab apple <br />.though, we'll also make sure to place it in the (unclear) of the yard. <br />Klusczinski: Thank you, the Chair recognizes any questions from the Commission for the <br />petitioner. <br />Niezgodski: I was unclear, exactly... there was mention of putting the fence where it used <br />to be is that what was said? <br />Guisinger: No, not exactly, there's a fence that used to be on the back left and then back <br />across the garage, and there was not a fence between us ever. I won't say ever, but since <br />we've been there. So, we're running a 4 ft fence between us and the house to the right of <br />us. The question is really where do we tuck in to come into the house. We have a <br />concrete porch and so on the side you could either put it behind the porch or you could <br />put it in front of the porch. We want it in front of the porch for a couple of reasons and <br />actually the third reason that I didn't even mention and we could probably get around <br />this but the fence guy also wants it further in front because the fence guy is worried that, <br />as you can see there's a tree, and so the fence guy's worried that if we have it behind the <br />porch that its going to be difficult and unstable if we run it too close to that big tree. And <br />so putting it in front of this porch makes it closer to the street but it solves the other <br />problem. And also we've had, not too many times, but we've had a few incidences of <br />people who look into this window and I would like to solve that as well. I should also <br />note that the house next to us is vacant as well, and I think that's part of the problem as <br />N. <br />