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Public urges Springville to keep larger-lot chicken allowances; staff recommends tiered limits
Summary
Residents told the Springville City Council they support allowing more backyard chickens on larger lots, citing food preparedness and community benefits; a staff presenter suggested tiered limits keyed to lot size and asked for more numerical analysis before the council finalizes changes.
Residents and a city presenter focused the evening's public comment on proposed changes to Springville's backyard-chicken limits.
Brandon Ashby, who spoke during the public-comment period, said his family has kept a larger flock for years and asked the council not to add permitting requirements. "I just don't see a need for that," Ashby said, adding that his household has benefited from sharing eggs with neighbors and that larger lots can support more birds without creating nuisances.
An unidentified city presenter summarized staff research on egg production and lot-size effects, saying egg output varies seasonally "between 7 and 20 eggs a week over the course of the 3 years" and noting that uniform numeric caps can produce inconsistencies across R-2 lots. The presenter suggested "tiers" that would allow more chickens on larger properties while relying on nuisance-code enforcement to address smells, pests and noise.
Quinn Adamson, another resident, said he and his wife chose Springville for the land and community access and urged the council not to adopt a blanket restriction on agricultural rights. "I don't think that's reasonable," Adamson said of overly strict caps, and suggested that a 2.5-acre property should be permitted more birds than a townhome lot.
A written comment from an absent resident, read into the minutes by the mayor, reiterated the same themes: do not reduce allowed chickens on larger lots; the nuisance code can control problems; and backyard chickens help families prepare for supply-chain disruptions.
City staff asked the council for more time to refine numeric proposals and provide data tying lot size to appropriate animal-unit limits. No ordinance was adopted at this meeting; public testimony was entered into the record and staff signaled they would return with more detailed recommendations.
The council did not take a final vote on any change to chicken regulations during this session. The next procedural step indicated on the record was additional staff analysis before a future formal action.
