HomeMy WebLinkAbout6/16/2020 Item Public Comment, Gee
Clerk, Intern
From:Steven Gee <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Public comment for tonight's City Council meeting 6/17/20
My name is Kristina Gee. I live at 1268 Woodside Drive. I ask that the City Council
consider the interpretation of municipal code section 6.28.060 A.1 which reads-
1. No person shall keep upon any premises in the city any poultry or rabbits:
a. Within fifty feet of any dwelling
I would like the council to find that “dwelling” in this section applies only to the
dwellings of neighbors. The intent of this section is to avoid impacts to neighbors from
noise and smells. Placing a rabbit or chicken close to the owner’s home would lessen
potential impacts to neighbors.
My neighbor, who recently moved, lived next to us with chickens for more than 15
years. The chickens were never a problem and were not noticeable even though they
did not meet the 50 foot setback from either my home or her home. Several other
residents in my neighborhood have chickens. I know because during the egg
shortages early in the Covid pandemic, eggs were offered to those who needed them.
In a future code update I am hoping the required 50 foot setback can be reduced so
that the residents living on the more affordable smaller lots can have the same
opportunity to own chickens. Due to the size of the lots in my neighborhood it is
unlikely that any of the current chicken owners would be able to keep their chickens if
the code were interpreted to require a 50 foot setback from the owner’s home. These
chickens are pets to my neighbors and not a problem for the neighborhood.
In these times of food insecurity please consider a more lenient interpretation of the
code that does not cause impacts to neighbors and allows current chicken and rabbit
owners to keep their pets.
Thank you for your time.
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