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Zoning board approves permit for backyard hens at 190 Biltmore Drive with conditions
Summary
The Irondequoit Zoning Board granted a special use permit allowing up to six hens at 190 Biltmore Drive, with a five-year no-replacement rule, annual unannounced inspections, a buried wire apron or hardware cloth, and a requirement that hens be supervised if allowed out of the coop.
At its August hearing the Irondequoit Zoning Board of Appeals approved a special use permit permitting up to six hens at 190 Biltmore Drive, subject to standard conditions and an added supervision requirement.
Stephanie Salvis, the applicant, told the board, "We are requesting a approval for a small backyard flock of hens to keep on our property." She said the coop and enclosed run are designed to "exceed recommended space guidelines," that birds will be contained and that any roosters or birds exceeding the approved number would be returned to the breeder. Salvis also explained that she works as an oncology nurse and her husband runs a physical therapy practice and said the project began as an educational incubation project for their children.
The chair reviewed the town's historic conditions for backyard hens: "We have generally allowed up to 6 hens for a 5 year period with no replacement hens and no roosters," and listed annual unannounced inspections, burying the wire mesh two feet or providing a two-foot apron, setbacks and a coop permit among the requirements. The board removed a prior veterinarian-check condition after noting veterinarians do not accept that requirement.
A board motion to approve — moved by a board member and seconded — added an amended condition that hens must be retained inside the coop and run unless supervised by an adult when outside. The board also specified that hardware cloth may be used for the apron or mesh protection around the coop. Supporters Alan Cole and Donna Bislow spoke in favor during public comment, saying they had no concerns about noise, odor or safety.
The motion carried 5–0.
Why it matters: the decision formalizes conditions that allow limited backyard poultry while aiming to address neighbor concerns about sanitation, noise and animal control enforcement.
