WLNS-TV seeks to add barbed-wire fencing at its Saginaw Street headquarters

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 7 — WLNS-TV is making news, not just breaking it.

The television station has stirred up controversy by its request to the city of Lansing to install a 6-foot-tall chain-link fence topped with barbed wire to section off the main entrance and parking circle on the north end of its headquarters, 2820 E. Saginaw St.

The request has set off a lively debate on social media sites.

In a call with City Pulse this morning, WLNS-TV’s general manager, Marci Daniels, said the proposal was the result of a set of new “critical infrastructure” recommendations from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“We're considered critical infrastructure because we communicate to the public in a mass media way during emergencies,” Daniels explained.

However, the plan would conflict with city zoning ordinances that prohibit chain-link fences, barbed wire or any fence over 4 feet tall, meaning WLNS can’t move forward with the project unless the city approves a variance request.

The Lansing Board of Zoning Appeals is set to consider the matter in its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. tomorrow in the Neighborhood Empowerment Center, 600 W. Maple St. The nine-member body will hold a public hearing before the potential vote.

A staff report issued by zoning administrator Susan Stachowiak indicated some concerns with the proposal.

First, staff noted that potential safety issues could arise if barbed wire is installed along “one of the most heavily traveled streets in Lansing, near highway ramps.” Installing the fence along the entrance and exit of the circle drive could also create issues with traffic flow and safety on Saginaw Street, the report added.

It also concluded that the chain-link fence would “be out of character with the area” because there are no other commercial or residential properties “in the surrounding area” with a chain-link fence in a frontyard.

“Chain-link fences are prohibited not just for aesthetic purposes, but also because the material is relatively quick to wear and rust and plant overgrowth can intertwine through the gaps, especially vines and scrub trees,” the report said.

Staff instead suggested that Homeland Security standards “can be satisfied through other methods,” including placing “bollards or boulders.” The report stated that wrought iron was “much less climbable” and therefore “more appropriate” than chain-link, meaning the city could approve a wrought iron fence tall enough to meet WLNS’ security concerns without the need for barbed wire.

The staff report summarized the city’s findings by finding that the proposal was not “consistent” with the zoning ordinance’s standards for approving a variance request.

“Since there is nothing unique about the subject property to warrant relief from the ordinance, approval of the requested variance could set a negative precedent for future requests,” Stachowiak wrote.

Area residents received notice of tomorrow’s public hearing and meeting in the mail last week. The news was shared on neighborhood sites like Nextdoor, where commenters offered mixed reactions.

Many were nonplussed, noting that they could understand the potential security concerns WLNS is trying to address and that the fence was not a concern for them. Resident Mary Jesse wrote on Nextdoor that she didn’t believe that granting the variance would open the door “to homeowners requesting a similar variance.”

“The statement that ‘if they can, we can’ is incorrect because anyone wanting that would have to go through the same variance request procedure,” Jesse wrote.

Others shared some of the same concerns outlined in the staff report.

“Not only would it look terrible, I think it would make the neighborhood look like it's rough and unsafe, a bad area, which could in turn invite crime rather than deter it. I really don't understand why they think they need that. I'd love to hear an explanation,” Michelle Canfield wrote on the same Nextdoor post.

Competitor WILX-TV does not have a similar fence on its property on Edgewood Boulevard in south Lansing, and neither does Fox 47 at its offices and studio on St. Joseph Street in Lansing.