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Council reintroduces special-use permits with specific criteria, including rules for backyard poultry
Summary
Councilors reviewed reintroduced special-use permit criteria required by the state; the packet adds specific conditions for uses including poultry (limits on hens and coop requirements), senior residential communities and outdoor-entertainment noise restrictions; the council voted to recommend the changes to the council after a public hearing.
Town planning staff explained that, following state law changes, the town is reintroducing special-use permits with specific and objective criteria to guide review by the zoning board and other authorities.
The planner said the draft restores previous special uses and adds explicit criteria so review authorities can apply consistent standards. "So, essentially, what you have in front of you today is the... reintroduction of the special use permits," the planner said.
New or clarified uses discussed included keeping poultry for home use (hens, guinea fowl, quail, domesticated ducks and geese) with limits: 1 hen per 2,000 square feet, a maximum of six hens per acre, and no more than 12 birds in any case. Councilors expressed concern about pest problems (rats) and asked how the town would enforce conditions; staff said violations of permit conditions would be treated as zoning violations and could be enforced through municipal court, with the possibility of revoking a special-use permit following due process.
The committee voted to recommend the special-use criteria to the council and scheduled a public hearing as the next procedural step.
