08-10-2023 Planning Commission Minutes

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MINUTES PLANNING COMMISSION AUGUST 10, 2023 4 Chair Johnson asked the input desired at this time. The Community Development Director replied that they would want input on whether keeping of chickens would be a good idea as well as input on the different parameters mentioned in the presentation. Chair Johnson welcomed input from the members of the public in attendance. Leanne Love, 555 Little Canada Road, commented that she and her husband are very pro chicken, and this is the only city they looking at that does not allow chickens. She commented that chickens are great for soil health, promote sustainable living, lower your carbon footprint, are great for children, and are great for the community. She noted that people with chickens often share eggs with their neighbors. She commented that when living in Minneapolis, she was not even aware her neighbor kept chickens. She did not agree that the entire backyard should be fenced as that could be wasteful and prohibitively expensive. She agreed that the coop and run should be fenced and/or covered, with enough space to promote healthy living for the chickens. She did not believe neighbor approval should be required, noting that approval is not required for dogs and dogs can be much more disruptive. She did not agree that the coop should be considered an accessory structure as someone would need to choose between a coop and shed, when supplies are often stored in a shed. She would like to see six chickens allowed. She commented that chickens are fun, quirky and entertaining to have around. Hellen Martin, 193 Burke Lane, agreed with the comments of the previous speaker. She stated that Little Canada is late to the party on this topic and seems to have chosen the most restrictive aspects from neighboring communities. She commented that her neighbors have four dogs, and they did not have any input on that, noting that she trusted that the City has ordinances in place to regulate that activity and it should be the same for chickens. She also supported allowing six chickens, or more depending on the lot size. She strongly disagreed with the neighbor approval as a neighbor should not have control over what is done on her property, as there are regulations in place to ensure there are not issues. She commented that if a neighbor were to deny the request of another neighbor, that could also create conflict that did not previously exist. She commented that the run and coop should be fenced with proper fencing to provide protection from predators, noting that typical fencing does not provide that protection and therefore fencing the entire yard would not provide the desired benefit. She thanked the City for doing this research and being open to this concept. She commented that she does have a shed on her property and was told she did not need a permit because it was under a certain size. She commented that if someone could have a shed of that size along with a coop, she did not think that would create issues for people as they would have ample room to store supplies. She asked why this is titled “backyard chickens”. She noted that she has a reverse pie shaped yard, therefore they do not really have a backyard and would need to place their chickens in the front with the proper screening.