Carlsbad zoning cleanup introduced; council pulls poultry rules for separate outreach

The Carlsbad City Council introduced a city-initiated zoning code cleanup that bundles 16 amendments to several municipal code titles, but agreed to remove and return the proposed R‑1 poultry-keeping changes as a standalone item to allow more outreach.

Senior planner Nicole Morrow said the package addresses typographical errors, clarifies home-occupation rules, reinstates discretionary grading permit authority to the city engineer, and adds animal-keeping specifications to fill a gap in R‑1 standards. “The amendment package for the 2024 zone code cleanup includes 16 total amendments across four titles of the municipal code,” Morrow said.

During public comment, neighbors from the Pacific Estates area described persistent noise, insects and rodent concerns they attribute to a nearby property keeping an excessive number of chickens; speakers presented a log of noise recordings and cited county limits on backyard chickens. One commenter said the San Diego Humane Society’s contract-based enforcement had been ineffective and asked the city manager to investigate.

Councilmembers voiced support for the overall cleanup but asked staff to separate the poultry language because it would insert a new permitted use into many R‑1 parcels. Councilmember Luna said pulling the poultry amendment out for targeted outreach would provide clarity and prevent surprising affected homeowners; the council agreed and voted to introduce the remainder of the ordinance while directing staff to return with a standalone amendment and communications plan.

Next steps: staff will bring a standalone R‑1 poultry amendment back after additional outreach and return with the standalone ordinance language and implementation timeline.