Zoning board grants special exception and variance for coop at corner lot, 1306 Abers Creek Road

The Monroeville Zoning Hearing Board on May 2025 granted a special exception and a dimensional variance allowing Tom and Nicole Bittner to keep chickens and to locate a 10-by-24 chicken coop within the required front-yard setback at 1306 Abers Creek Road, a corner lot in the R-2 district.

The applicants sought the special exception under Article 12, section 1211(c)(4) of Monroeville Zoning Ordinance No. 2779 and a dimensional variance from Article 3, section 315 (supplemental lot requirements) because corner lots have two front yards. Nicole Bittner testified that flooding constraints on the property limited dry locations and that the coop was placed behind a garage in the only consistently dry area. “We also want to do chickens. However, we didn't realize that we needed zoning approval to build the coop,” Nicole Bittner told the board during her testimony.

Board members asked about prior complaints, current flock size and waste management. Nicole Bittner said the family currently keeps four chickens and had not received complaints from neighbors; staff confirmed mailed notices to adjoining property owners and a local newspaper advertisement. The applicants described a raised, enclosed coop and an attached run; the transcript records the coop dimensions as roughly 10 feet by 24 feet. The board approved the special exception and then approved the variance for the coop location. No additional conditions or follow-up tasks were recorded in the hearing transcript.

The board noted the practical hardship created by corner-lot setbacks and the property's limited dry area when considering the dimensional variance. The presiding officer called for motions on both items, each of which members seconded and the board approved.