Ordinance committee closes backyard hens public hearing but tables ordinance for rewrite and law-department review

The Ordinance Committee closed a public hearing on a proposed zoning/ordinance change to allow backyard hens (backyard chickens) in residential areas and then decided to table the item to allow further drafting, departmental input, and outreach.

The Planning Department submitted a recommendation supporting a carefully regulated allowance for backyard hens with safeguards; its 2025 memo reiterated a similar recommendation made in 2020. The Planning Department said most conforming changes belong in the general code of ordinances rather than zoning text alone.

Several city officials and department heads had urged caution or opposed the change. Director of Public Health Timothy River (Board of Health) argued the potential public-health and resource burdens—citing concerns such as avian influenza, waste management, rodent pressures and enforcement costs—outweighed the limited food-security benefits. Animal-control and building-department staff also raised capacity and enforcement concerns. By contrast, the Holyoke Food and Equity Collective urged the council to revisit the ordinance to expand food access and avoid procedural barriers (special permits, costly notifications) that would limit residents’ ability to participate.

Council members reiterated competing priorities: supporters suggested limited pilots, community-garden pilots, or measures to protect equity and access for renters and multiunit dwellings; opponents noted department workloads, enforcement capacity, and that ordinances should be citywide rules, not ad hoc exceptions for single properties. Several members said a line-by-line reconsideration with department heads present would improve the drafting and public process.

The committee closed the public hearing and considered forwarding the 2020 draft to full council without recommendation; that motion did not carry. Committee members then agreed to table the item for further work, including sending the draft to the law department and inviting the Board of Health, animal-control and planning staff to participate in re-drafting. One member proposed allowing case-by-case applications as a stopgap; others said a comprehensive ordinance was required. The committee agreed to reconvene the ordinance discussion after law-department drafting and additional departmental engagement.

Next steps: The committee asked the law department to prepare revised ordinance language and to coordinate meetings with department heads and stakeholders; the item is tabled pending that revised draft and further committee hearings.