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Murrysville council unanimously approves conditional use for backyard beekeeping at 2575 Linda Drive
Summary
The borough council approved a conditional-use permit allowing a resident to keep up to three bee hives in an R-2 zoned yard after planning commission review and no recorded complaints were presented at tonight's hearing.
The Murrysville Borough Council voted unanimously to approve a conditional-use application allowing Carl DiPietro to keep beehives at his property at 2575 Linda Drive. The permit permits hobbyist animal husbandry limited to the conditions set by the planning commission.
DiPietro, the applicant and a resident at 2575 Linda Drive, told council he had support from 15 neighbors, that the planning commission had recommended approval with conditions, and that no complaints had been filed since the application was first noticed. "I hope you can make a favorable decision based on the facts that we've presented," DiPietro said during the public hearing.
A borough staff member explained that under the Murrysville zoning ordinance animal husbandry is treated as a conditional use in the R-2 medium-density district and summarized the planning commission conditions: a limit of three hives, noncommercial hobby use only, and no hives placed in the front yard. DiPietro confirmed he agreed to those conditions.
Council members asked no follow-up questions of substance and there were no public comments in opposition during the hearing. The conditional-use item was listed on the agenda as item 14a and passed by voice vote; the clerk recorded the vote as unanimous.
The council and staff noted that the borough's zoning definitions for livestock and animal husbandry are part of the existing zoning ordinance and that any broader changes (for bees, chickens, etc.) would be most appropriately handled as part of a comprehensive zoning update tied to the municipality's upcoming comprehensive plan, rather than by one-off ordinance edits.
