BCA approves variance for six-foot fence at 453 Marble Court with sight-line condition
September 25, 2026 | Gallatin City , Sumner County, Tennessee
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The BCA voted to approve BA resolution 2026007, allowing a six-foot opaque fence at 453 Marble Court, but attached conditions intended to preserve visibility at the cul-de-sac and require permitting.
Brad Hickman, a staff planner, told the board the lot was platted with a "double front yard," meaning all sides abutting Marble Court are treated as front yards and are subject to section 12.01.020 C.5, which limits front-yard fences to 4 feet in height and at least 50% see-through. The planning department recommended denial of the variance but provided conditions the board could impose if it chose to approve.
Owner and applicant Ashley Cheney Felt said the fenced area functions as the bulk of the family's usable yard because the lot leaves very little backyard, and that the contractor did not tell her a permit was required. "I'm Ashley Cheney Felt, owner and applicant at 453 Marble Court, Gallatin, Tennessee," she said. She told the board she would obtain any required permit.
Neighbor Barbara Brown of 447 Marble Court urged caution for safety reasons, saying vehicles and a child on a bicycle had been forced onto the sidewalk because the fence creates a blind spot. "When I'm backing out, I've had people come around the corner and nearly... run into me," she said as she described the visibility problem and later presented photos to the board.
Board members discussed a compromise to cut off the fence corner (removing roughly two panels on each side at the corner) to increase sight lines and, as one member put it, "get it out of the PD" so future city work would not automatically put the owner in conflict with the city. The motion to approve cited the lot's shape as a hardship and described the approved variance as the minimum needed to allow reasonable use of the property. Conditions adopted included obtaining a fence permit within 30 days, standard boilerplate notice that owners must replace fences if city work requires removal, and cutting the front corner panels to improve visibility.
The motion was seconded and approved; the board recorded the outcome as "variance passed."
Brad Hickman, a staff planner, told the board the lot was platted with a "double front yard," meaning all sides abutting Marble Court are treated as front yards and are subject to section 12.01.020 C.5, which limits front-yard fences to 4 feet in height and at least 50% see-through. The planning department recommended denial of the variance but provided conditions the board could impose if it chose to approve.
Owner and applicant Ashley Cheney Felt said the fenced area functions as the bulk of the family's usable yard because the lot leaves very little backyard, and that the contractor did not tell her a permit was required. "I'm Ashley Cheney Felt, owner and applicant at 453 Marble Court, Gallatin, Tennessee," she said. She told the board she would obtain any required permit.
Neighbor Barbara Brown of 447 Marble Court urged caution for safety reasons, saying vehicles and a child on a bicycle had been forced onto the sidewalk because the fence creates a blind spot. "When I'm backing out, I've had people come around the corner and nearly... run into me," she said as she described the visibility problem and later presented photos to the board.
Board members discussed a compromise to cut off the fence corner (removing roughly two panels on each side at the corner) to increase sight lines and, as one member put it, "get it out of the PD" so future city work would not automatically put the owner in conflict with the city. The motion to approve cited the lot's shape as a hardship and described the approved variance as the minimum needed to allow reasonable use of the property. Conditions adopted included obtaining a fence permit within 30 days, standard boilerplate notice that owners must replace fences if city work requires removal, and cutting the front corner panels to improve visibility.
The motion was seconded and approved; the board recorded the outcome as "variance passed."
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