It seems six inches can make a big difference.
Residents living near a proposed multi-residential development on Piercy Avenue raised concerns about variances for the project last week at a Courtenay council meeting and asked to have the proposed fence between the development and their homes increased from six feet to six feet and six inches.
The developer's representatives nodded in the back of the room, and council agreed to issue a development permit with variances, allowing construction of a 10-unit multi-residential project at 1620 Piercy Ave.
The variances reduce the minimum setback provisions for the rear and side yards and reduce the amount of useable open space required for the property. A number of conditions are attached, including the six-foot-six-inch fence.
Jeannette Sumner is one of two Piercy Avenue residents who spoke to council and said adding six inches to the fence would be helpful.
She pointed out the city's bylaws say the fence on the side of the development property can be six feet, six inches, but the developer is proposing a six-foot fence.
"With this big development there, and the way it's configured with a building being right down by my house and my bedroom, I really would prefer a six-foot-six fence, which is the two metres that are allowed," she said.
She also spoke about drainage, which she believed had been dealt with.
"I really appreciated that the developers were willing to meet with me and spent as much time as they did with me; it showed a definite care and concern about what the neighbours felt about things," Sumner told council.
Coun. Jon Ambler supports the project moving forward with a higher fence.
"Tonight we heard from the public, and I've got to go with Robert Frost on this about good fences making good neighbours because a fence, when it's built properly, benefits people on each side of it," he said. "It seems like a modest change, yet it might make a key difference in the health of that community."
Coun. Doug Hillian was happy to see the developer and neighbours co-operating.
"It's refreshing to see the acknowledgment on both parties of the importance of finding some common ground," he said. "The citizens have spoken and acknowledged that the neighbourhood by nature is going to change and they asked for some minor accommodations. The developer, in good faith, works with them and indicates a willingness to go along with that, and I think it's a good example of what can happen when people co-operate in the spirit of goodwill."
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