SPRINGDALE — White picket fences are still welcome in Springdale, but some privacy fences built of treated pine may not be allowed soon.
Planning commissioners suggested changes to the city fencing ordinance Tuesday, including a requirement that privacy fences facing public property be built from cedar or redwood instead of treated softwood lumber.
Treated lumber would still be allowed for fences between yards or facing other private property.
“This won’t fix some of the problems we already have, but we need to set a minimum standard at least for the new ones,” said Patsy Christie, city planning director.
Treated-lumber fences generally don’t last as long or weather as well as cedar fences, said Fadil Bayyari, chairman of the city Planning Commission. A city-built fence made from treated lumber along Don Tyson Parkway is a perfect example of how they can become an eyesore, Bayyari said.
“It already looks terrible. I wish it had been done differently,” he said. “I don’t like to tell people how to build things, but we’ve seen what happens when we built junk out of our own budget.”
The changes won’t affect other types of fences, such as wrought-iron, wood rail or chain-link. Barbed wire fences are only allowed in agricultural zones when needed to confine animals.
Eliminating the treated-lumber option would cost a homeowner about $2 to $3 more per foot of fencing, said Roger Piper, general manager of Carnahan-White Fencing. The cedar fencing will last longer, assuming it’s properly maintained, he said.
“I’d personally prefer a cedar fence over a treated fence, because cedar has a good look and a natural resistance to rot,” Piper said. “That said, there’s always a cost consideration. Cedar isn’t cheap.”
Some fencing material looks like cedar but is really a treated-wood product, Piper said.
“We sell some stuff that would pass for cedar unless you looked at it up close,” he said.
Residents will have to get a city permit to build a fence abutting a public right-of-way. That will be the easiest way to enforce the materials regulations, Christie said.
Other fences won’t require permits.
On a larger scale, commissioners also suggested requiring developers to complete fences or walls around subdivisions as a condition for final plat approval. It would ensure fences are built uniformly, rather than piecemeal fashion by the buyers of each individual lot.
The changes were discussed during the Planning Commission’s work session Tuesday. They will be reviewed again at the commission’s regular meeting next month.