A Lansing-based TV news station's request to install a security fence in front of its building is drawing some pushback from residents.
WLNS-TV wants to install a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire outside its station near the Frandor Shopping Center.
As a station licensed through the Federal Communications Commission, the channel provides government-related broadcasts during emergencies. Officials with the Department of Homeland Security are recommending the fence to protect the site as vital communications infrastructure.
Marci Daniels, WLNS's general manager, said the station has faced threats of violence. At a meeting of the Lansing Board of Zoning Appeals Thursday evening, she described one incident in which a man with a hammer hit multiple cars in front of the building and chased an employee.
"We have real threats on a regular basis and our front of our building is completely open at this point," Daniels said. "The installation of this fence aligns with the city's commitment to maintaining public safety and protecting critical infrastructure."
Some residents voiced opposition, arguing barbed wire would harm the neighborhood’s aesthetics and affect property values.
"It's very important that, yes, people are safe," said Teresa Phelps, who said she lives nearby. "But to do this in the neighborhood where we all live, that's a huge concern.”
Daniels said the station cares how the community looks.
"I think that we can accomplish the security that the Department [of] Homeland Security would like us to do, and at the same time provide landscaping that's going to continue to make it beautiful,” she said.
City employees said the addition would go against Lansing's zoning rules, which prohibit chain-link fences on front yards of non-industrial property. A staff report proposed alternatives such as a wrought iron fence, bollards or boulders.
The zoning board did not have a quorum of members to make a decision on Thursday. The group and is expected to weigh in on WLNS's request at its next meeting.
