SPRING HILL, Tenn. (WKRN) — A proposed change to the Spring Hill chicken ordinance has ruffled some feathers in the city.
At its latest Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, Spring Hill leaders briefly considered a proposal to change the ordinance regulating domesticated hens. Currently, the city permits up to four hens per household regardless of the size of the their property, but the amendment would change the rules to permit one hen per every 1,500 square feet of land.
The proposal raised eyebrows from some citizens, who used the public hearing portion of Monday night's meeting to express concern over the consequences of such an action. Residents in the Hunters Point subdivision said they were concerned with how many chickens could be kept if the ordinance changes.
Jean Tamburello, who lives in the Hunters Pointe subdivision, said she and her neighbors wanted to understand the need for the ordinance change and how it would impact them, because they already deal with chicken-related issues at their homes.
If a property sat on an acre of land, Tamburello said, it could theoretically have between 27 and 29 chickens.
"The one thing that we are concerned about is the idea of having more chickens on property," Tamburello said.
Her neighborhood abuts a different subdivision where some homeowners aren't currently following the rules concerning having backyard chickens, she told the board.
"What's happening is, unfortunately, the codes are not being followed," she said. "The chickens are loose — they're free-range — they're coming in our yard; we're very concerned about this. They're digging under my fence."
She added attempts to discuss the issues with the homeowner in question and multiple calls to codes officials have not yielded improvements. If current codes aren't being enforced with the 4-hen limit, she asked, why would the city consider adding more chickens to an already existing issue?
"We're having an issue with these chickens going free-range and the codes being enforced," she said. "We don't want more chickens around us."
Tamburello also noted odor issues with chickens currently permitted in the city, which would be exacerbated if the ordinance passed.
"We're hoping that there can be some kind of happy medium here so that we all can live happily," she said Monday night. "They have as much right to have use and enjoyment as we do, but we have to follow the codes. There are rules put in place for a reason."
The proposed amendment was not the answer, she said.
According to Spring Hill Development Services Director Dara Sanders, there was an opportunity to address some of the residents' concerns through things like performance standards for coops; however, she did not believe there would be "an influx of hen permits" with the proposed ordinance.
"I've been writing chicken ordinances since 2008," she said. "We hear these complaints a lot. What you heard today sounds like either a code enforcement issue or it's a land use compatibility issue, where we have ag properties right next to suburban residential properties. In my experience, in nearly 20 years of dealing with chickens and chicken ordinances and chicken permits, there's rarely a mad influx of requests for hen permits, and never have I seen a request for that many hens on suburban or residentially-zoned property."
Regardless, Sanders said the board could ask her to bring back a version of the ordinance that included more safeguards or performance standards to address resident concerns, which she was happy to do.
Ward 2 Alderman Jaimee Davis agreed to including performance standards but also said some of the concerns may end up being moot.
"A lot of our neighborhoods are governed by the HOAs, and the HOAs are not going to allow that anyways, so that's going to be another thing to take into consideration when we take a look at this," Davis said.
The board ultimately deferred final reading of the ordinance until the board's Aug. 18 meeting.
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from WKRN News 2 https://ift.tt/eItaVnN
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