Richard Gere's Tall Fence Faces Violations in Wealthy NY Suburb

Richard Gere now has something in common with Martha Stewart. The actor, like Stewart, is running into zoning hurdles with a café and bakery he and a partner have opened in the wealthy New York suburb of Bedford.

Bedford once turned down Stewart's plan for a barn on her property. The barn was to house tractors, snowplows and a forklift but was turned down because it was too close to the road.

Now Bedford is saying a new 180-foot-long cedar fence that Gere has constructed does not pass regulations. Bedford's rules call for a fence no higher than 4 feet along the street side of a property, but Gere's fence is 5 feet tall.

Gere's representatives have been trying to win a variance from the town zoning board by landscaping the fence to make it look better, but no decision is expected before May 7.