Freedom Township acts on fence issue

A large fence at Pleasant Lake which limits residents' view of the lake has been a contentious issue in Freedom Township for several months.

After several months of discussion, at its August 9 meeting the Freedom Township Board reviewed proposed Zoning Ordinance Amendments submitted by the township's Planning Commission, and voted to approve all but one of the proposed amendments – waterfront lot setbacks – which will remain at the current 50 feet rather than the proposed reduction to 25 feet.

Valisa Bristle, Freedom Township Clerk, said, "The board passed the recommendations from the planning commission. There was an illustration changed and we have not seen that update yet, but the wording was approved and we will approve the illustration next month with the changes made. The board voted to change the setback from the proposed 25 ft. back to 50 ft., and that was passed unanimously as well."

Residents in attendance applauded the Board’s decision to retain the 50-foot setback, which is in keeping with regional, state and national waterfront setback trends.

“I’m so pleased the Freedom Township Board listened to lake residents and came through with a vote that supports Pleasant Lake by strengthening waterfront zoning to reflect residents' goals of lake area protection and view preservation,” said Pleasant Lake resident Carol Westfall.

Included in the Board’s approval was an amendment to end a long-running fence issue on waterfront lots. Fences on waterfront lots will now be 4-foot, with 50% see through. Other approved Freedom Township Zoning amendments included clarifying the residential density, floor area ratio, and ground floor coverage standards and calculations that apply to submerged lands and removing privacy screen requirements for permitted yard encroachments.

"This ends a year and a half controversy about large, no see through fences around Pleasant Lake," said Lon Nordeen, lake resident and a long time advocate for stronger, more protective zoning on waterfront property. The fence issue dates back to a zoning error in late 2014 that led to dissent among lake residents and township officials.

These illustrations are among those reviewed by the Freedom Township Board when making its decision regarding waterfront fence issues at the Aug. 9 meeting.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.