Loading...
06.24.13f AGENDA ITEM My OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING OF JUNE 24, 2013 FRIDLEY Date: June 17, 2013 To: Wally Wysopal, City Manager From: Scott Hickok, Community Development Director Julie Jones, Planning Manager Subject: Livestock License for Laying Hens at 6360 Monroe Street NE Background The City has received an annual livestock license application from Robin Hiney who lives at 6360 Monroe Street. Ms. Hiney would like to keep six laying hens (no roosters) in a small coop in her backyard adjacent to her garage. She plans to maintain the birds year-round as a source of eggs for her family. Any extra eggs will be given to family and friends. Ms. Hiney's detailed proposal is attached for your review. Chapter 101 of City Code requires anyone wanting to maintain fowl on their property to obtain a livestock license from the City annually. The fee for this license is $100, and Ms. Hiney has paid the required fee. She has met the requirements for coop placement being at least 30' back from any property line. Site Visit Observations Staff inspected the property on June 13 since measurements had to be taken to verify that the proposed chicken coop would not cause the property to exceed accessory structure square footage requirements. Py investigating the building records on the property, it was discovered that a previous prope!ly owner added onto ac a ara a without obtamm a building permit. The garage addition created an illegal nonconforming status on the garage, as its square footage now excee s that o the 1,061 sq. house — something prohibited by the zoning code. The chicken coop proposed by Ms. Hiney, however, will not be attached to the garage, so it will not be expanding the illegal non -conformity of the garage. In addition, the field visit confirmed that the additional 5' x 10' accessory structure proposed to harbor the chickens will not cause this property to exceed the maximum square footage allowed for total accessory structure square footage on an R-1 lot of 1,400 sq. ft. During the site visit, staff observed an unmaintained compost bin, some outdoor storage, and fowl odors coming from the garbage container. Ms. Hiney later explained that they were in the process of removing and replacing old landscaping. There is a garden on the property to the west of the garage, which is where the applicant proposes (see attached narrative) to deposit waste from the hens. The proposed coop location will be hidden from view to the neighbors and street and meets the 30' setback requirement from any lot line. Staff does, however, have some maintenance concerns. It needs to be stressed to the applicant that the compost pile needs to be maintained according the Chapter 113, which requires regular turning, and there should never be any offensive odors to neighbors coming from the property from the chickens or any other source on the property. Noncompliance of these potential code violations would be reason for future license revocation. One additional issue that the applicant did not address in her narrative is what she proposed to do with the chickens once they become too old to lay eggs (after about 2 years in most breeds). Besides waste removal in the winter time when the garden and compost pile are frozen, this is a concern to staff as City Code does not permit butchering on site. The applicant should be asked to address these concerns. Recommendation Staff recommends that the City Council approve the livestock license request from Robin Hiney as long as staff's concerns about odor and future turnover of the brood are addressed by the applicant. In addition, the applicant should be informed on record that the existing garage is illegal non -conforming, so the chicken coop cannot ever be attached to the garage or expanded in size without first obtaining approval from the City.