FRIENDS' Testimony:

The applicant proposes a modest intervention which will simplify the areaway and upgrade the service door to match the main entry. But the new fence, double in height from the existing and far taller than its neighbors, caused concern among the Preservation Committee. At nearly six feet tall, this fence imparts a hostile and forbidding atmosphere on the street. A shorter fence, closer to four feet, would effectively dissuade any would-be loiterers.

The issue of fence heights has been ongoing in our neighborhood. As part of our advocacy for appropriate fence heights in 1997, FRIENDS counted 75 fences over five feet tall in the Upper East Side Historic District. At the time, former FRIENDS’ Executive Director Jane Cowan asked the Commission to deny a proposed fence almost a foot shorter than the one under consideration today. Our position remains consistent; we urge the applicant to consider a lower fence that says “Welcome” instead of one that screams “Keep Out!”