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Prohibited Existing relationships of buildings and their environments shall not be destroyed by widening existing streets, applying asphalt or other bituminous coverings or by introducing new streets or parking lots. Signs, streetlights, benches, new plant materials, fencing, walkways and paving materials which are out of scale or inappropriate to the neighborhood may not be used. The erection of high walls or barriers, which would alter the relationship of the houses, shall be prohibited. Utility poles with high intensity overhead lights shall not be used on main thoroughfares. B. BUILDING SITE, LANDSCAPING & ACCESSORIES This section focuses on individual properties and amenities. Building sites tend to be irregularly shaped, of varying topography and with different setbacks with regard to plots. Alleys are generally behind houses. Landscape accessories like fences are unique to each structure. Chapin Place presents a unique situation within the district. Applications from properties that have property lines on Chapin Place will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Required Fencing, walkways, outbuildings, private yard lights, signs (i.e. house numbers) and benches (visible from the street) as well as trees located in a yard or tree lawn which reflect the property's history and development shall be retained. A tree located in such areas shall only be removed if the removal is required due to storm damage, disease, threatened damage to a structure or for such other reason acceptable to the Historic Preservation Commission. Storm damaged or diseased trees should then be replaced with an approved species at the same or approximate location wherever possible. Fencing visible from the street in front of the structure shall be open (meaning spaces between the pickets) and consistent with the historic character of a structure enclosed. Recommended New site work should be based upon actual knowledge of the past appearance of the property found in photographs, drawings and newspapers. New site work should also be appropriate to existing surrounding site elements in scale, type and appearance. Front yard areas should remain open. (See above for information regarding fences.) Trees in close proximity to a building may cause structural damage. Owners are encouraged to remove these trees and replace (or replant) them at a more appropriate location as soon as planting season permits and upon approval of a C of A. Prohibited No changes may be made to the appearance of the site by removing trees, fencing, walkways, outbuildings or other elements before evaluating their importance to the property's history and development. Front yard areas shall not be transformed into parking lots nor paved nor blacktopped, nor enclosed by solid fences, chain link, nor industrial/commercial style fences. The installation of unsightly large devices, such as television satellite dishes, skylights or solar panels, shall not be permitted in areas where they detract from the architecture of a building, are intrusive to the public view of the building or are highly visibly from a public street, or ruled inappropriate after Commission review. Utility poles with high-intensity overhead lights should be installed so that they cannot be seen from a street. The Commission will evaluate all installations as well as any potential exceptions resulting from special circumstances, before granting a C of A. STAFF RECOMMENDATION: This is a new and large feature being requested to be erected between a non-contributing structure and a contributing structure at 813 Ashland. There is no documentation that such a fence was ever erected at this property. The homeowner is requesting this for security and privacy concerns. Staff recommends approval of this fence and gate since it can be constructed and removed without further altering the house.