Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are facing objections from neighbours over plans to increase privacy and security at their $5.35 million mansion in Bratenahl, Ohio. The couple’s proposed six-foot fence and extensive landscaping have sparked a dispute with longtime residents, who have raised concerns ranging from potential damage to a shared sewer line to wildlife safety and privacy.According to the Daily Mail, the disagreement has continued through local planning and architectural review meetings, with officials approving parts of the couple’s proposals while asking them to revise other plans.
Neighbour calls the new owner an ‘absentee owner’
Katherine Bolton, who has lived next door to the property for 35 years, reportedly described the arrival of the new owner as a major disruption to the peace and quiet of the Lake Erie village.At a meeting of Bratenahl’s Architectural Review Board last month, Bolton criticised the prospect of an owner who would not be present at the property regularly.“There’s a new owner, who is an absentee owner, who is not going to be here,” she said, according to the hearing transcript cited by the Daily Mail.The report said the couple’s names were not mentioned during the 72-page transcript of that meeting. However, at a subsequent hearing on Tuesday, Bolton explicitly identified the property as having been purchased by Kelce.The mansion reportedly spans 21,000 square feet and includes eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and a two-bedroom guest cottage. Built in 1895, the estate also features a ballroom that has been converted into a game room and home theatre.
Shared sewer line becomes a major point of contention
One of Bolton’s principal concerns involves a century-old clay sewer pipe shared by her home and the mansion.She told the board that she had received an estimate of $75,000 to line the pipe to protect it against tree-root intrusion. Her concerns intensified after learning about the couple’s proposed landscaping, which reportedly included planting around 50 evergreen trees near the sewer line.“Planting 50 evergreen trees just ten feet from a 100-year-old clay sewer line is virtually guaranteed to cause severe root intrusion, pipe structural failure and catastrophic sewage backups,” Bolton told the meeting, citing research she said she had conducted using artificial intelligence.She also questioned whether the new owners would remain in the area long enough to deal with any problems that might arise.The couple’s project representatives disputed the criticism. Jacob Kutz of Tiny Construction told the board that Bolton had planted arborvitae trees directly over the sewer line, closer to it than the trees proposed by the new owners.Property manager Patrick Hyland also said the owners had spent $7,500 of their own money to replace a damaged section of the shared sewer line and had arranged for the entire line to be cleaned.According to the Daily Mail, the couple’s team also said it had added gates to preserve Bolton’s access to the sewer.
Residents question fence design and security plans
Chuck Bauernschmidt, who has lived two doors away for 39 years, raised concerns about the removal of vegetation from the property. He presented photographs to the board and criticised what he described as the extensive clearing of shrubs and trees.“It’s now ridiculous,” he said, according to the hearing transcript. “All the trees are gone.”Bauernschmidt also questioned the proposed fence’s spear-topped design, warning that deer could become caught on its points. Village official Mary Ranney reportedly acknowledged that such incidents occur occasionally.Bolton’s husband, Bill, a former president of the Bratenahl village council, raised further concerns about whether the fence would provide meaningful protection against paparazzi. He argued that a fence measuring five or six feet would not necessarily deter someone determined to look into the property.He also pointed to potential security threats from drones and Lake Erie, questioning how the owners might respond to unauthorised aerial surveillance.
Board approves some plans but asks for revisions
The couple’s representatives reportedly said they had initially considered an eight-foot fence extending approximately 1,190 feet around the lakefront estate. Following discussions, the proposal was scaled back to a six-foot fence, which was unanimously approved at the earlier meeting despite objections from neighbours.The approved fence will replace an existing five-foot structure, sit two feet farther inside the property boundary and stop short of Lake Erie.At Tuesday’s hearing, the board approved the proposed landscaping at the front of the estate, subject to conditions ensuring the trees on the southern side have sufficient room to mature.However, it declined to approve a proposed line of saplings along the shoreline, citing concerns about their eventual height. The couple’s team must return with a revised landscaping plan.Photographs cited by the Daily Mail reportedly show landscaping work already underway, with sections of turf removed and bare ground visible. A “no trespassing” sign has also been placed at the entrance.
Couple’s team says it has tried to accommodate neighbours
Despite the objections, representatives for Swift and Kelce told the board they had made several changes in an effort to maintain good relations with nearby residents.Kutz said the fence had been moved farther inside the property’s boundary and that the plan to extend it to the water had been dropped. The team also said it had paid to cut back trees on the Boltons’ and Stephensons’ properties and had installed an additional gate after Bauernschmidt complained that he felt closed off.The property manager reportedly said neighbours would continue to be allowed to cross the back gardens with permission.Kutz also presented photographs to challenge claims that the estate’s grounds had been stripped of healthy vegetation, arguing that the property had previously been heavily overgrown and poorly maintained.Not all residents opposed the changes. Victoria Broer, who chaired Bratenahl’s planning commission for nearly 20 years, reportedly welcomed the decision to keep the fence away from the shoreline.“I do appreciate that the fence is not going all the way to the lake, because that would be in my view,” she said.Property records cited by the Daily Mail indicate that the mansion was purchased in March by a limited liability company linked to Kelce. The company had been incorporated in Ohio on February 26 and was used to acquire the property a week later.
