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Taylor Swift and Travis KelcePlans for a more private sanctuary in Ohio have run into public protests. Neighbors of a $5.35 million Lake Erie estate are challenging landscaping and fencing, raising concerns about a shared sewer line, wildlife, and how the changes could affect their longtime homes.
A six-foot fence has already been approved, but parts of the landscaping are still unresolved. The building’s representatives, meanwhile, say they have changed the plans, paid for sewer repairs and added gates to accommodate residents.
Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce’s Neighbors Push Back Against Privacy Plans
According to the Daily Mail, the dispute is based on an estate in Bratenahl, a small town outside Cleveland. Property records cited by the outlet show that an LLC linked to Kelce bought the mansion in March. The 21,000-square-foot property has eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and a two-bedroom guest house. Built in 1895, it also has an old ballroom converted into a game room and home theater.
But the proposed changes to the gardens have become a point of contention with nearby residents. Katherine Bolton, who has lived next door for 35 years, described the news of the new owners as a “terrible blow” to “the peace and quiet in Bratenahl.”
“There is a new owner, who is an absentee owner, who is not going to be here,” she told the Architectural Review Board, according to meeting minutes cited by the Daily Mail.
At a hearing later Tuesday, Bolton said the property next door “was recently purchased by Travis Kelce.”
A shared sewer line is going to be a major concern
One of Bolton’s biggest complaints involves a century-old clay sewer pipe that was shared by her home and the estate. She told the board she was given $75,000 to line the pipe against tree roots after learning of plans to plant dozens of trees.
“Planting 50 evergreen trees just ten feet from a 100-year-old earthen sewer line is almost guaranteed to cause severe root compression, structural failure of the pipe and catastrophic sewer backups,” Bolton said, citing research she conducted using artificial intelligence.
Bolton also questioned what would happen if the owners eventually left. “This candidate could decide to sell her house next year, maybe move on and buy another house,” she said. “What do I do when I have 50 evergreen trees on my sewer line, and they’re gone? And I still live here in Bratenahl.”
The estate agents offered a different account of the sewer situation. Property manager Patrick Hyland said his clients had already spent $7,500 to replace a broken section of the split pipe and had the entire line out and cleaned “without asking for any help, just to show we’re good neighbors.”
Neighbors question the safety and security benefits of the fence
The proposed fence drew its own objections. Chuck Bauernschmidt, who has lived two doors down for 39 years, criticized the removal of the vegetation, showing pictures of what he called “the clear cutting of the bush and everything else.
“It’s ridiculous now,” he said. “All the trees are gone.” He also raised concerns about deer getting caught on the spear-shaped points of the fence. When asked if that happens, city official Mary Ranney replied, “Sometimes.”
Bolton’s husband, Bill, a former town council president, questioned whether the fence would provide much protection against determined intruders. Although he acknowledged that the applicant has “higher security needs than many people,” he said that “five or six feet” would not “slow down an able-bodied young person.”
“I think the biggest security threat to the candidate is drones and the water,” he said.
The Estate Team say they have made concessions
Representatives working on the project say they have reviewed the plans again to address neighbors’ concerns. Jacob Kutz of Tiny Construction told the board that the original proposal called for an eight-foot-wide fence around 1,190 feet around the property. “The house was one of the biggest sales in Cuyahoga County, so the home owner is looking for privacy and security,” he explained.
The approved version is six feet high and replaces an existing five-foot fence. It was also moved two feet inside the property boundary and will stop short of Lake Erie. Kutz said they added two gates so Bolton could still reach the sewer line, and added another after Bauernschmidt complained about feeling “closed off.”
“We went ahead and did that for Chuck,” Kutz said. He also disputed criticism of the cleared grounds, referring to the previous vegetation as a large overgrowth that “wasn’t maintained.”
“This is not an open field,” he told the board.
Regarding the sewer issue, Kutz said that Bolton himself had “planted some Arborvitaes on the sewer line, basically right on it,” arguing that those trees were closer to the pipe than the proposed plantings.
Some landscapes still need another review
The Architectural Review Board unanimously approved the six-foot fence after more than an hour of protests at last month’s meeting, according to the Daily Mail. At the hearing on Tuesday, they also approved landscaping in front of the property, with the condition that trees on the south side will have enough room to grow properly. However, the board stopped short of approving a series of proposed shoreline barriers, confirming that they would grow too tall even with trimming. The candidates must return with a revised plan.
Not all neighbors opposed the changes. Victoria Broer, who chaired the city’s planning commission for nearly 20 years, welcomed the decision to keep the fence away from the shoreline. “I understand that the fence doesn’t go all the way to the lake, because that would be my opinion,” she said.
For now, the fence has the green light. The coastal trees will need another visit before the board can fully move forward with the estate’s privacy plans.
