Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s fence plan for their $5.35M Ohio mansion stirs backlash, one neighbor says deer might be at risk

A neighbor of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce has claimed the backlash over the couple’s plans for their Ohio mansion is mostly coming from residents living on either side of the property. The neighbor, who lives minutes from the lakefront estate in Bratenahl, told Page Six that the couple appear “excited” about their new home and that the rest of the neighborhood “will absolutely be supportive.”

The neighbor said they did not understand the frustration, claiming the couple had done “a really nice job fixing up the house.” Ahead of the village Architectural Review Board meeting on Tuesday at the Bratenahl community center, the neighbor said they had been reaching out to other residents so everyone was on the same page. “We don’t want them to feel unwelcome,” they said.

The board is set to discuss the latest landscaping plans for the property, which the couple bought for $5.35 million in March. Swift and Kelce have sent representatives through the review process instead of attending meetings in person, and the neighbor said they doubt the couple will show up this time.

A fence plan turned into a whole village debate

The neighbor noted that these meetings are usually sparsely attended, but the ones about this property have drawn unusually large crowds and media attention. The current proposal includes a six-foot black aluminum privacy fence and several landscaping changes. Jacob Kutz of Tiny Construction, who represents the couple, said the main goal is privacy and security, an issue Kelce has faced before with an alleged fence jumper at his house. Kutz said the original eight-foot design was scaled down to address concerns, and the new plan stops short of Lake Erie.

Some residents have openly opposed the changes. Chuck Bauernschmidt, who lives two doors down, reportedly criticized the removal of shrubbery and argued that deer could be hurt by the fence. Katherine Bolton, who has lived next door for more than 30 years, raised concerns about evergreens being planted near a century-old shared sewer line and claimed she was quoted $75,000 to protect the pipe from tree roots.

Bratenahl is a village of about 1,200 residents on Lake Erie, roughly six miles east of downtown Cleveland. The couple reportedly chose the eight-bedroom, 11-bathroom home partly because it is a few miles from Cleveland Heights, where Kelce grew up. They bought the property months ahead of their reported 1,000-guest wedding. Swift and Kelce have not commented directly on their neighbor’s concerns.