Good Fences Make Good Neighbors . . . or Not
This morning, Gossips was alerted by a reader to a "monstrosity" being constructed at the corner of Riverledge Road and Joslen Place. Always eager to follow up on a tip, I jumped in the car and drove to site to find a new privacy fence, mostly completed, around the entire perimeter of the corner lot, with gaps for a vehicular entrance and a pedestrian entrance to the premises.
This part of the city, north of Montgomery C. Smith School, is Hudson's mid-century suburbia. The houses, mostly one-story ranches interspersed with a few one-and-a-half-story bungalows, are on large lots, set back far from the street with deep front lawns, most of them carefully manicured and landscaped.
The 1965 Comprehensive Development Plan, a pre-Urban Renewal document Gossips explored in some depth a few years ago, recognized this part of Hudson, which it called the "High School Neighborhood" (MCS was then the high school), as the one neighborhood in Hudson that required no rehabilitation. To quote the document: "The High School neighborhood, suburban middle-class in character and appearance, contains few problems. . . . North of the school are well-maintained, single-family homes on large lots. Almost all of the new construction of the past decade and a half has taken place here."
Google maps provide evidence of what the neighborhood and this particular house were like before the fence went up.
There was a privacy fence on the property before, but it was set back from the facade of the house and did not interrupt the uniform line of setbacks on Joslen Place. The new fence, however, does break the line of setbacks and alters the character of the neighborhood . . . not in a good way.
As an advocate for preserving the character of neighborhoods, which is essentially what creating historic districts is all about, I submit that this character-altering fence might not have happened if the neighborhood were a historic district or if it were at least subject to a neighborhood conservation overlay which would define and protect the critical characteristics of the neighborhood for all its residents, present and future.
COPYRIGHT 2018 CAROLE OSTERINK
Since I play tennis regularly around the corner from this, I have been watching the progress of this project for the last couple of weeks. . I imagine that it will be completed with an automated sliding gate across the driveway!! The gated community theme Hudson style. Quite amazing and disturbing. Mark Orton
ReplyDeleteMonstrosity is right. How heedless people are of the effect their "projects" have on the surrounding landscape. If they are so adamant about privacy, they should have bought land outside of the city.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to see someone doing what they please with their property.
ReplyDeleteFrankly, if the fence is legally on the owner's property and there isn't any "historic district" guidelines to follow, it's no one's business what the owner's do. While esthetics is certainly something we all are concerned about in our neighborhoods, we all have a right to privacy on our own property.
ReplyDeleteIt's a Privacy Fence not a wall...perhaps the owners want a sense of security. Perhaps the owners want a comfortable and quiet barrier from the school activity. Perhaps the owners want to create a stunning and secluded escape on their own property.....regardless of their reasoning; they have a right to place a fence on their property....property they pay quality money and taxes to have. "Neighborhood"..."Community" is defined by relationships....the people; not the land...How about inviting these people over instead of talking crap about them.
ReplyDeleteWELL WITHIN THEIR RIGHTS. Perhaps those who are complaining should move to a gated community operated by a home owners association. Where you need the associations permission to paint your house, put in a pool, add a fence, pave your driveway, plant bushes.
ReplyDeleteWhat does the City of Hudson building code say about fencing?
ReplyDeleteCarole, given some of the wild remuddling in the heart of our historic district, I question your comment that the fence in question "might not have happened if the neighborhood were a historic district or if it were at least subject to a neighborhood conservation overlay."
ReplyDelete