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Council reintroduces special‑use permit criteria, including limits on backyard poultry
Summary
Councilors reviewed reintroduced special‑use permit criteria required by state law changes and voted to recommend the package to the council after a public hearing; the draft adds objective standards for uses including poultry (1 hen per 2,000 sq ft, max 6 hens/acre, no more than 12), daycare and renewable energy.
The council voted to recommend to the town council a package of reintroduced special‑use permit criteria that set objective standards for several uses, including backyard poultry, renewable energy installations and daycare centers.
Staff explained that state legislative changes required municipalities to supply specific and objective criteria when a use is reviewed as a special use. The draft ordinance adds a new "use criteria" column in zoning tables and detailed standards in a single section (2‑60‑68) to help decision makers evaluate applications.
On backyard poultry, staff said the draft limits keeping of hens and similar domesticated birds to one hen per 2,000 square feet, a maximum of six hens per acre and no more than 12 birds in any case. "We added keeping of poultry for home use... 1 hen per 2,000 square feet, maximum of 6 hens per acre, and no more than 12 in any case," staff said. Councilors raised concerns about secondary impacts such as rats and screening/enforcement; staff said violations could be handled through zoning enforcement and municipal court and that a special‑use permit could be rescinded for noncompliance.
The council voted in favor of recommending the special‑use permit reintroduction package to the town council after a public hearing; members said staff and planning board review gave them confidence that the numerical criteria address neighborhood impacts while enabling permitted uses where appropriate.
Next step: The package will be scheduled for a public hearing and a council vote; staff said they will be available to answer questions and provide additional justification for the numeric limits and other objective criteria.
