Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s plans to install a privacy fence around their new $5.35 million lakeside mansion in Ohio have stalled, with village planners reviewing the application twice without approving it, Our News Outlet can reveal.
The couple have been seeking to create a more secluded retreat at their luxury Lake Erie property by putting up a taller fence. They have also recently installed a new warning alarm to guard the home against unwanted attention.
The proposed fence first appeared on the Bratenahl Architectural Review Board’s agenda on August 11, one day after the meeting agenda had already been published.
It later returned on September 8 as an old-business item, indicating that the board had considered the plans but left the matter unresolved.
As the dispute continues, Our News Outlet can reveal that Bratenahl’s own regulations present a significant obstacle for the newlyweds—showing that even one of the world’s most famous couples can become caught up in a neighborhood planning disagreement.
Under the village’s rules, fences along the lakefront must be no higher than two and a half feet unless at least 75 percent of the structure is see-through.
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are seeking permission to build a fence at their new $5.35 million lakeside mansion in Bratenahl, Ohio, records show
Kelce and Swift want to build the fence around their newly purchased $5.35 million lakeside mansion
Kelce purchased the property through an LLC in March and initially sought an 8ft fence around the estate, which would have violated the village code. Following discussions with the village and neighbors, they agreed to reduce the height and acknowledged that fencing the entire property was unnecessary
As the fence dispute unfolds, Our News Outlet can reveal how Bratenahl’s own regulations have complicated plans for the high-profile newlyweds
The code explains that the restrictions are intended to protect “the shoreline, views of Lake Erie and property values.”
Kelce bought the property through an LLC in March and initially pushed for an 8ft fence around the estate, a proposal that would have breached the village code.
After discussions with village officials and neighbors, the couple agreed to lower the proposed height and conceded that a fence around the entire property was not needed.
A village official confirmed to Our News Outlet that a revised fence permit application has been submitted.
Separately, the singer and Kansas City Chiefs tight end recently set up a voice warning system around their new home to keep anyone passing by from getting too close, Page Six reported.
“A neighbor approached the house and got a voice warning about not passing onto the property after getting too close to the house,” a nearby resident said.
A village official confirmed to Our News Outlet that a permit for a fence has been submitted, with landscaping and other details still being worked out. Pictured above is the picket-style fence included in the plans
The sprawling 21,000sq ft property is complete with eight bedrooms, a ballroom and a home theater
The lavish property has a two-bedroom guest cottage and a huge swimming pool in the backyard
Photos inside the home show ornate plasterwork and stunning wooden decor throughout, including a vast open staircase
Despite the attempts to turn it into a secret sanctum, Kelce will still have to come back to get approval for any landscaping around the property in October but an exact meeting date is yet to be set, records show.
Officials added that ‘he the applicant’, though didn’t refer to Kelce by name, had been ‘gracious’ while trying to work with the village.
Before the village building commissioner can issue any permit for works, the board is required to approve the design – and just one letter from a single neighbor is enough to stop the whole thing in its tracks.
For Taylor and Travis, only two properties actually touch their new 3.5-acre estate, and both share more than 600 feet of boundary with it.
Three more households sit directly across the road and are also entitled to object under the village code.
But more awkwardly for the couple, both of their direct neighbors have been here before.
In 2023, the neighbors each filed written objections to a pool fence at the same address that is now owned by the Swift and her Kansas City Chiefs tight end husband.
The 131-year-old recently renovated home is also conveniently located near a private airport
The 3.5-acre property, which boasts a dining room featuring unique stained-glass windows, is located on the shore of Lake Erie boasts 21,000sq ft of space
The house, which isn’t registered in either Travis or Taylor’s name, was put into an LLC created for the specific property. It was incorporated in Ohio on February 26 this year and used to buy the property seven days later
They then turned up in person and argued it out in front of the same board for the best part of an hour.
Both neighbors still own their homes, according to records, making it highly unlikely that their opinions on the matter will have changed.
Minutes obtained by Our News Outlet reveal exactly what was said when the issue was argued in 2023.
Eric Stephenson, who bought the house on the northeast side for $782,000 in 2018, brought photographs taken from his own dining room to prove the view he stood to lose.
‘Part of the beauty of living in there is that it’s open space where you can look and we’re all one yard,’ he told the board at the time.
‘When I walk out my backyard, I like to see sight lines. I like to see the lake. So if I’m looking through a fence, it seems restrictive. It also constricts my property.’
‘If you take a walk back there, it looks like one giant property. And that’s one thing we enjoy and one thing we really want to hold dear to our hearts and keep.’
He went further, insisting: ‘I didn’t buy a house with a fence there and I didn’t buy a house with that view. And to have my land cut off, that’s not what I originally bought.’
‘It does affect the aesthetics and it will affect my value and it will affect my property, so I’m going to fight for that as much as I can.’
The house, which is dominated by wooden decor with unique features downstairs, was previously owned by a Middleburg Heights construction firm, which bought the mansion for $1.95 million in March 2023
Photos from inside the home show multiple lounge and entertaining areas, including ones with striking blue walls and floral curtains, as well as high ceilings with white ornate plasterwork
Another cozier sitting room features another fireplace and an old bookcase among the classical interior
The old house was built over 100 years ago and has retained plenty of its traditional charm
The home is adorned with wooden floor to ceiling panels in the majority of rooms
Kelce reportedly closed on the property in March, taking the newly married couple’s combined real-estate portfolio into double digits
On the other side is the Bolton family, who have owned their home since 1990. Katherine Bolton told the board she and her husband Bill had been in the village for 32 years.
‘One of the wonderful things about Bratenahl are the open vistas and the view lines,’ she said. ‘And I think there’s a big open space that should be preserved. And I think that we should try to do everything we can to maintain that integrity of the historic character of the Village.’
‘We’re all stewards of our homes,’ she added. ‘We’re curators, really.’
Her husband, meanwhile, is no ordinary neighbor.
Bill Bolton is a former president of Bratenahl village council, a fact his wife put on the record at that same meeting with the village solicitor sitting feet away.
The 2023 dispute was not, however, the same fight.
That fence was a safety barrier the village was forcing on the property around a newly built pool, and the owner did not want it either.
The board approved it anyway, by two votes to one, over the neighbors’ objections.
Just months after he started dating Swift, Kelce splashed out on a $6 million mansion in the Leawood area of Kansas City
In 2014, Swift snapped up two penthouses in New York City for around $20 million. She then expanded by purchasing a third unit in the building a few years later for $9.75 million
Swift scooped up a sprawling mansion in Westerly, Rhode Island, in 2013 for $17 million
Still, it leaves Taylor and Travis in the harder position of the two.
Back in 2023, the owner and the neighbors were on the same side. This time the owner wants the fence, while the neighbors, code and the board all stand in the way.
The previous owner of the property was a Middleburg Heights construction firm, which bought the mansion for $1.95 million in March 2023.
After restoring the gatehouse, adding a heated pool and a bluestone patio, the property was sold in March for $5.35 million.
The house, which was solely bought by Kelce, was put into an LLC created for the specific property. It was incorporated in Ohio on February 26 this year and used to buy the property seven days later.
The 21,000-square-foot house has eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and a two-bedroom guest cottage. Built in 1895, it features a ballroom that has been converted into a game room and home theater.
The village has not published minutes for either the August or September meeting, so the exact details surrounding the new request for a fence are currently unclear.
Our News Outlet reached out to Swift, Kelce and Bratenahl’s building commissioner for comment.
