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Planning commission backs forwarding backyard beekeeping appeal to council, suggests ordinance changes
Summary
A Murrysville resident won a planning commission recommendation to send his conditional‑use appeal for two or three hives to borough council with conditions; staff and commissioners discussed amending the zoning code to exempt hobby beekeeping from livestock rules.
The Murrysville Planning Commission voted to forward a conditional‑use request to borough council recommending approval for Carl DiPietro to keep two to three beehives at his home, with conditions limiting hive count, restricting commercial honey sales and prohibiting hive placement in front yards.
DiPietro, who lives at 2575 Linda Drive, told the commission his hives are a hobby and that he provides honey to neighbors but does not operate a commercial apiary. He said an anonymous complaint to code enforcement cited a 10‑acre requirement in the zoning ordinance that treats bees as livestock.
Planning staff explained that the ordinance language is internally inconsistent: animal husbandry provisions that include acreage and setback standards are explicitly applied to RR and R‑1 districts but the R‑2 district language was not updated to exclude or include the same restrictions. “So this is almost kind of another mistake possibly that we either missed adding the R‑2 District to the agricultural restrictions or R‑2 was never supposed to be a conditional use,” staff advised the commission.
Commissioners and staff discussed two paths: (1) approve a conditional use for a small number of hobby hives now while recommending a zoning text amendment to clarify whether beekeeping is an agricultural livestock use, or (2) amend the ordinance to remove beekeeping from the livestock definition. Commissioners directed staff to recommend both short‑term conditions and a code amendment to council.
At the meeting the commission set recommended conditions: no more than three hives on the property; hives for hobby purposes only (no commercial honey sales); and hives not located in front yards. The commission’s motion to forward the recommendation to council with those conditions passed unanimously.
What’s next: The commission’s action forwards the conditional‑use recommendation to borough council and asks council to consider an ordinance amendment clarifying beekeeping rules for R‑2 lots. If council adopts changes to the zoning code, that will set the long‑term regulatory framework; otherwise, individual conditional‑use approvals will remain the vehicle for exceptions.
Direct quotes used with permission from the applicant and planning staff are included above.
