Applicant asks council to rezone 0.2 acres in Lula Cross District to allow keeping geese, ducks and other birds

Patrick Price, the applicant, asked the Mecklenburg County Council to rezone about 0.2 acres he owns in the Lula Cross District (parcel ID 28894) from R2 to Agriculture so he can lawfully keep exotic parrots, ducks, geese and a small number of chickens on the property.

Price said he and his wife moved to the house in about 2013 and that he has kept birds as pets since about 1998. He told the council he discovered recently that his birds and certain domestic animals were not in compliance with local zoning regulations and submitted the rezoning application to “fix that.”

If approved, Price said the rezoning would allow him to keep animals he described as pets and domestic breeds — including four geese, four Pekin ducks, three silky hens, two barred rock hens and a black-feathered bird he described — on the separate, undeveloped half-lot adjacent to his house. He said the lot is largely grass with some trees and that he plans to construct predator-proof enclosures; he cited local wildlife seen near the property, including bobcats, foxes, coyotes, bears and snakes.

Price said the parcel sits inside a gravel subdivision of roughly 25 lots, with about 17 homes and seven permanent residents. He identified nearby neighbors Cheryl Fisher and Jose and Diana Santore as supportive; he said the nearest agricultural land is about 70 yards north of his house and that a larger 240-acre tract is about 170 yards from his driveway entrance. Price said the parcel is currently free-range for the birds but that he corrals them at night with an automatic door and would install daytime fencing and top cover where needed to prevent jumping and predator access.

Price said he became aware of the compliance issue after a realtor called to report that a prospective buyer had been startled by the geese during a showing; he said the property sold and the closing was scheduled for the day after his remarks. He also thanked Dr. Tanner and Lucky Carson for assistance in preparing his application.

The transcript records Price’s explanation and details about animal types, numbers and planned enclosures, but it does not record a council vote, staff recommendation, or a description of the specific zoning code sections at issue. The applicant described the intent as corrective—bringing current use into compliance through rezoning—but did not state a timetable for follow-up or a formal decision by the council.

Other factual details Price provided: the parcel ID (28894), the approximate lot and neighborhood counts, and the species and counts of birds and poultry he keeps. He described one prior neighborhood complaint during a home showing and said the new owners he met do not object. He said he intends to avoid increasing the house footprint or creating new dwellings on the lot.