By Lauren McSherry

Good fences don’t make good neighbors if your friends are deer and other wildlife.

In a city where high property values are leading to more subdivisions and fewer parcels of undeveloped land, tall, imposing fences put up by residents to protect their seclusion and valuable properties are replacing the open, split-rail fences that used to be found in the fields and meadows of Los Altos Hills.

The problem is the city isn’t only attracting millionaires. The city’s remaining tracts of oak meadows also attract grazing deer and wildlife.

The Hills council addressed concerns earlier this month that if every property becomes fenced in, there will be no room left for wildlife. The council directed staff and the open space committee April 7 to look into hiring a wildlife biologist to map wildlife corridors and research adding guidelines into city code restricting fences where wildlife corridors exist.

“We’re not talking about preventing somebody from building a house on a property, but preventing somebody that would block a corridor,” said Mayor Mike O’Malley. “The rural nature of the town and the general plan speak to that.”

The issue recently surfaced when a resident presented plans to build a fence around an 18-acre property.

“(The council’s interest in the issue) has been serendipitous for us because we have had situations with subdividing or lot lines where we worry about fencing near open space,” said Roger Spreen, chairman of the open space committee. “Our unofficial belief is there are a lot of animals moving through here.”

Spreen said having guidelines in place will be more fair when the city works with developers and residents. Previously, decisions were made on a case-by-case basis, he said.

Los Altos Hills is bordered by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Two large preserves, Byrne Preserve and Hidden Villa, are located within city bounds.