Residents divided as Enon reviews draft backyard-chicken ordinance

Enon held a public comment session during a special meeting on a draft ordinance that would allow limited backyard chickens in residential areas. Residents who attended agreed the draft is more detailed than past guidance but remained split on whether chickens belong inside village limits.

Bob Gibler, who said he lives in Hal Meadows, opened specific concerns by saying, "my name is Bob Gibler. I live in Hal Meadows and uh uh just to get started, I wanted to say that I'm still against chickens in the residential areas of Enan." He nevertheless called the draft well-drafted and a reasonable compromise and asked staff to ensure the ordinance would not conflict with county law.

Others praised the clarity of the application and neighbor-consent processes. Chris Kushman (1090 Cardinal Drive) said the draft "gives [neighbors] a very clear voice" and asked staff to clarify how corner lots and diagonal neighbors are treated for consent. Staff replied they will have legal counsel review the precise neighbor-consent language and can update the draft to be explicit about property-line definitions.

Residents raised several technical issues: whether slaughtering or "harvesting" chickens would be allowed, what happens to an existing permit when ownership of a property changes, whether coops may be sited in front yards, and the per-chicken space requirement discussed in the draft. Rosalie Gibler pointed out the draft does not require coops to be in a backyard and asked that visual screening requirements be clarified to prevent front-yard coops that affect neighborhood character.

Organizers responded that the draft can be adjusted to specify coop placement and screening and that a five-year review provision would allow staff to reconsider permits over time. Multiple commenters suggested a trial period (one year suggested) to test the policy and allow revisions without imposing permanent losses on residents who invest in coops. Staff agreed to post the draft online, provide copies on request, and solicit broader input before returning to the council.