HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCWkspAgenda 3-6-2013Falcon Heights City Council Workshop City Hall 2077 W Larpenteur Ave. 6 :3 0 p.m. AGENDA Wednesday , March 6, 2013 1) Discussion/Review of Fire Department Study Recommendations 2) Discussion of a Draft Chicken Ordinance 3) Discussion on a Tree Master Plan I f you have a disability and need accommodation in order to attend this meeting, please notify City Hall 48 hours in advance between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at 651 -792 -7600. We will be happy to help.
Council Workshop Staff Report Families, Fields and Fair __________________________ The City That Soars! Item Discussion /Review of Fire Department Study Recommendations Descrip tion Now that the Falcon Heights Fire Department Study has been completed and presented, Staff would like to discuss with Council the 11 recommendations from the consultant. Staff will provide a summary of where the City and Fire Department are at with e ach recommendation and prioritize the recommendations moving forward. The Fire chief has also been invited to attend this meeting. Budget Impact Based on discussions and prioritization of Fire Study Recommendations. Att achment(s) Recommendations from th e Falcon Heights Fire Department Study. Full copies of the Fire Department Study can be made available at the Workshop upon request. Action(s) Requested Discussion and prioritization of Fire Study recommendations. Meeting Date March 6 , 201 3 Agenda Item Workshop 1 Attachment Recommendations from the Falcon Heights Fire Department Study Submitted By Bart Fischer , City Administrator
Council Workshop Staff Report Families, Fields and Fair __________________________ The City That Soars! Item The Falcon Heights Environme nt Commission recommends adoption of an ordinance allowing and regulating the keeping of a limited number of hens in residential neighborhoods of Falcon Heights . Description Following their study of beekeeping in 2012, the Environment Commission took up the topic of back yard chickens under the principle that growing food locally is a good sustainability practice. Commissioners met with Bill Stephenson of St. Paul’s Animal Control department, which manages that city’s chicken permits and inspections, and with Jane McHattie, a St. Paul resident who keeps chickens. Commissioners studied chicken ordinances from Stillwater, Maplewood, Minneapolis, Eagan and other cities. Commissioners used these codes as models to build a draft for Falcon Heights, which was se nt to the City Attorney for writing of an ordinance. The Environment Commission presents the draft ordinance to the City Council with its recommendation for approval, allowing residents to keep chickens by permit under the conditions stated in the ordinanc e. At the request of Mayor Lindstrom a straw poll has been set up on the website to survey citizens on this matter. Budget Impact N/A Att achment(s) Draft Ordinance allowing and regulating the keeping of chickens in the City of Falcon Heights Action(s) R equested Discussion Meeting Date March 6 , 201 3 Agenda Item Workshop 2 Attachment Ordinan ce amending the Falcon Heights C ode to allow the keeping of chickens Submitted By Deborah Jones, Staff Liaison to the Environment Commission
Doc. #168232v.1 RNK: 1/7/2013 1 ORDINANCE NO. ____ CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA AN ORDINANCE AMENDING CHAPTERS 10 AND 113 OF THE FALCON HEIGHTS CITY CODE CONCERNING CHICKENS THE CITY COUNCIL OF FALCON HEIGHTS ORDAINS: SECTION 1 . Chapter 10 of the Falcon Heights City Code is amended by adding Article IV to read as follows: ARTICLE IV. CHICKENS 10 -34 K eeping of chickens. A. Any person who keeps chickens in the City must obtain a permit prior to acquiring the chickens. Chick ens may only be kept in zoning d istrict s where chickens are an allowed accessory use. The initial permit is valid for up to two (2) years beginning on the date the chickens arrive on the site and ending on December 31 of the following year. Subsequent permits are valid from January 1 of one year to December 31 of the second year. Applications for permits must be made to the Zoning and Planning Director. (1) Fees charged for the issuance of a permit to keep chickens w ill be set by the City C ouncil. (2) If the permit applicant is not the fee owner of the premises on which the chickens are sought to be kept and for which the permit would apply, the application shall be signed by all fee owners of the premises. (3) The C ity may refuse to grant or may revoke a permit if the chi ckens become a nuisance, as evidenced by a second substantiated violation (within 12 months of a first substantiated violation) of this S ection of the City Code, or Chapter 22 of the City Code. (4) The C ity may refuse to grant a permit to, or may revo ke a permit from, a person convicted of cruelty to animals.
Doc. #168232v.1 RNK: 1/7/2013 2 (5 ) Permits are non -transferable and do not run with the land. (6 ) A permit is a license grante d to the chicken keeper by the C ity and does not create a vested zoning right. . (7 ) Pri or to issuance of a permit, the prospective permit holder must acknowledge they have read the chicken run educational material provided by the City. (8) Prior to issuance of a permit, the prospective permit holder must provide a detailed sketch plan o f the premises on which chickens are sought to be kept, including the location, the dimensions and design of the coop and run, establishing compliance with the chicken coop and run specifications provided in this Article. (9 ) Prior to issuance of a per mit, the prospective permit holder must provide a plan for maintaining an adequate temperature in the coop for the safety of the chicken hens. The plan must address both extreme winter and summer temperature conditions. (10 ) The permit ap plication wi ll be processed administratively . It will not be referred to the City C ouncil for consideration. 10 -35 Each person holding a permit to keep chickens within the City must comply with the following: (1) The principal use of the specific property m ust be either single -family residen tial or two -family residential. A permit will not be issued for any property which is used principally for something other than single -family or two -family. If the property's principal use is two -family residential, the n the property owner must sign the permit in addition to the chicken keeper; (2) No person may keep more than four (4) chickens; (3) No person may keep a rooster; (4) No person may allow chickens to range freely without fencing or without a mo bile pen; (5) No person may keep any chickens inside a house or garage; (6) No person may slaughter any chickens within the City;
Doc. #168232v.1 RNK: 1/7/2013 3 (7) Chickens must be provided a secure and well ventilated roofed structure ("chicken coop"); (8) The roofed structure for the chickens may only be located in a rear yard and must meet setback and building separations as established in C ity zoning and building codes, except that the roofed structure and fencing must maintain a 20 -foot separation from dwellings o n adjacent properties; (9) The roofed structure shall be fully enclosed, wind proof, and have sufficient windows for natural light; (10) All premises on which hens are kept or maintained shall be kept clean from filth, garbage, and any su bstance which attracts rodents. The coop and its surrounding must be cleaned frequently enough to control odor. Manure shall not be allowed to accumulate in a way that causes an unsanitary cond ition or causes odors to be detected on another property. Failure to comply with these conditions may result in removal of chickens from the premises or revocation of a chicken permit. (11) Chickens must be kept in the roofed structure, an attached pen, or a detached mobile pen whenever they are unattended by the keepe r; but when attended by the keeper, the chickens are allowed in a completely fenced exercise yard; (12) The coop's attached pen must be securely constructed with at least a mesh type material and shall have protective overhead netting to keep the chic kens separated from other animals; (13) The coop's attached pen must be well drained so there is no accumulation of moisture; and (14) The floor area of the roofed structure or a combination of the floor area and attached pen area must equal at l east ten (10) square feet of area per chicken. (15) All grain and food stored for the use of the hens on a premises with a chicken permit shall be kept in a rodent proof container. (16) Leg bandings are required on all chickens. The bands must ide ntify the owner and the owner’s address and telephone number. SECTION 2 . Section 113 -174(d) of the Falcon Heights City Code is amended by adding subsection (13 ) to read as follows:
Doc. #168232v.1 RNK: 1/7/2013 4 (13) Keeping of chickens as regulated by the Code . SE CTION 3 . Section 113 -181(d)(1) of the Falcon Heights City Code is amended to read as follows: (13) All accessory uses as permitted in the R -1 and R -2 Districts except that the keeping of chi ckens, as regulated by the Code , i s only allowed as access ory to a single - family or two -family home. SECTION 4 . This ordinance is effective immediately upon its passage and publication. ADOPTED this ______ day of _______________, 2013, by the City Council of Falcon Heights, Minnesota. CITY OF FALCO N HEIGHTS BY: _______________________________________ Peter Lindstrom, Mayor ATTEST: ___________________________________ Bart Fis c her, City Administrator/Clerk
Council Workshop Staff Report Families, Fields and Fair __________________________ The City That Soars! Item Discussion on a Tree Master Plan Description At a recent Parks Commission Meeting, City Forester A ndy Hovland was present to provide an update on recent forestry efforts on public property in the City. At that meeting, Andy suggested the City (Park Commission) begin work on a Tree Master Plan. Councilmember Chuck Long, as the liaison to the Park Boar d, asked that this item be brought to the Council for discussion at a Workshop. Councilmember Long will provide an update on Andy’s recommendations. Budget Impact N/A Att achment(s) N/A Action(s) Requested Discussion on a Tree Master Plan. Meeting Date March 6 , 201 3 Agenda Item Workshop 3 Attachment N/A Submitted By Bart Fischer , City Administrator Councilmember Chuck Long