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Planning commission backs moving backyard hens proposal to Town Council
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted to forward its recommendation on allowing backyard chickens to the Town Council; commissioners limited their technical recommendations to setbacks and residency rules and noted other ordinance sections (animal health, waste) must be updated by council/staff.
The Chesapeake Beach Planning and Zoning Commission voted Aug. 27 to transmit a draft recommendation on permitting backyard hens to the Town Council for further review and potential ordinance amendments.
Commissioners reviewed a staff-prepared proposal that would allow backyard chickens by conditional use in specified residential zones. The draft recommendation included limiting poultry to single-family detached dwellings, applying existing yard-setback rules so coops and runs do not project into minimum yard setbacks, and restricting coops from front yards. It also proposed a numeric limit on the number of hens per lot and said coops and runs should be sited to minimize impacts on neighboring properties.
Planning staff cautioned the commission that many operational details commonly associated with backyard poultry'such as handling of droppings, composting, and specific enclosure standards'fall under other sections of the town code (for example, the animal-health provisions and waste-management rules). Staff told commissioners those sections would need to be revised by the Town Council or other departments to create a full regulatory framework; the commission lacks authority to change unrelated code chapters.
Commissioners expressed concern about setbacks on small or nonconforming lots and noted homeowner association covenants would still restrict poultry where applicable. The commission discussed whether an 8-foot side-yard offset would be workable in the town'given many older lots have small or irregular setbacks'and recognized that HOAs could prohibit poultry in their covenants even if the town code allows them.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to forward the backyard-chickens recommendation, as presented by staff, to Town Council for consideration and ordinance amendment. The motion was seconded and approved by the commission.
Ending
The commission voted to forward the staff recommendation to the Town Council. Council staff and town attorneys will review other code sections that must be amended if the council adopts the change; the commission and staff expect public comment during the council process.
