A few exciting things are happening regarding chickens, specifically laying hens, in the Hampton Roads region of Virginia. If you read this blog regularly, you know that our group, 4 Chesapeake Hens, got laying hens legalized in residential backyards in Chesapeake, Virginia, with certain restrictions. If you need details, the ordinance passed was TA-Z-12-07 with changes to allow up to six hens and removal of the privacy fencing requirement. The text of the new ordinance is available online here. There's also a 1-year sunset clause on the ordinance.
Spring is on its way, and fans of our Facebook page are excited. They are ordering eggs to hatch and chicks to raise. Or they are finding sources for pullets and building their coops or chicken tractors. My husband, Don, has been busy fencing in 1/3 of our backyard to protect our "girls" from our dogs. He has also been building a chicken tractor. I promise to post pictures soon. I have two Buff Orpingtons and a Delaware that have been waiting at a nearby farm. Hopefully, I'll be able to bring them home this Sunday!
The change in the law got some positive publicity on a local television station, WTKR. Chesapeake resident Anna Ogle has two children with autism. With the new law, the children can finally have their therapy chickens! Here's a link to the video.
Our group will be presenting about chickens at a family-friendly event at the Chesapeake Central Library on Saturday, February 16, 2012, at 2 PM. There will be songs, stories, and a craft for the kids, and information for the parents about keeping backyard laying hens. That same weekend there will be a Sustainable Living Fair at Old Dominion University in nearby Norfolk, VA, so our group will be working with Portsmouth Hen Keepers, 4 Virginia Beach Hens, and Hampton Roads Hens to run a display and spread the word about laying hens and sustainability.
On March 2-3, Pat Foreman, the author of City Chicks, will give a 2-day intensive workshop in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Successful completion of this workshop will lead to a "Certified Backyard Chicken Keeper" certification. For more information about the Master Chicken Keeper program, visit Chickens and You.
Guess who signed up? First I longed for urban chickens, then I became a chicken activist, now I'm the "Chesapeake Chicken Lady." Why not a Certified Backyard Chicken Keeper to top it all off?
Showing posts with label Chesapeake VA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chesapeake VA. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
Saturday, November 17, 2012
When and Why Were Chickens Banned in Chesapeake? An Answer at Last!
4 Chesapeake Hens is a grass-roots organization that is trying to get micro-flocks of laying hens legalized in all residential areas of Chesapeake, VA. Currently the law only allows chickens on land zoned agricultural and on RE-1 "residential estates" of three acres or more. There, up to four hens (no roosters) may be kept in a pen. Up until yesterday, I have been unable to get factual information from the City regarding exactly when and why chickens were banned (see this previous post).
A member of City Council, Debbie Ritter, finally suggested I contact Dolores A. Moore, our City Clerk, with a request for more research on this topic. Yesterday I received an email that contained copies of minutes from both the Planning Commission and from the City Council where chickens were mentioned. These minutes date back to April 12, 1966, which is even before zoning was legally adopted in Chesapeake. Even then, there is a suggestion that the City preserve tracts of "two or three acres of land" for residents who desire to keep "ponies and chickens."
However, chickens and other poultry were allowed in the residential areas of Chesapeake up until June 17, 1975, when Council voted to allow "livestock, poultry, and other animals not commonly kept as pets" only in the A-1, RE-1, and (now defunct) C-1 Districts. The ordinance went into effect thirty days after its adoption. But even then the minutes make clear that it was the intention of the City to continue to allow residents who already had livestock to continue to do so under a "non-conforming use" unless the residents had stopped for one year, at which point they would not be allowed to begin again.
The only record of any objection to the new law was made by a Mr. Joseph T. Hall of 1385 Elbow Road at the Planning Commission meeting on May 19, 1975, which recommended the adoption of this ordinance. Mr. Hall owned a property zoned R-15s in the South Norfolk borough of Chesapeake, and he had tenants there who kept chickens. When informed that the ordinance "would prohibit the future keeping of animals not commonly classed as household pets on the property," Hall objected to the ordinance.
This ordinance must have generated some confusion or potential confusion about what constituted livestock, because on February 15, 2005, City Council Member Ritter made a motion to approve TA-Z-04-09, an ordinance "to clarify that rabbits, fish, and other animals can be kept as pets under certain circumstances." Council Members Burkhimer, Hayes, Krasnoff, de Triquet, Edge, Newman, Parker, Ritter, and Willis unanimously voted for the measure. Up to ten rabbits were allowed as pets under the ordinance, but domestic fowl were still prohibited.
These minutes answer the questions of when hens were prohibited, but not the question of why. Was the problem increased urban density, as Zoning Administrator John King once told me? Was it due to the mythical problems that chickens presumably cause? Or was there any evidence back in 1975 for the types of potential problems outlined in the Staff Report that 4 Chesapeake Hens has thoroughly rebutted?
To answer that question, I searched through old microfilms of newspapers from June of 1975. A few hours' search turned up an article from the Ledger-Star, dated Thursday, June 19, 1975. I will quote from this article, "New Law Prohibits Farm Animals in City," below:
"The new regulation is based on a request by the council in January and generated from a claim for the city to pay the value of ducks killed in a residential zone.
"The claim was based on state law requiring cities and counties to reimburse residents when their livestock is fatally wounded by wild dogs.
"In the past several months, as more and more residents have asked for reimbursement from the city, the council has grown increasingly skeptical of their requests.
"When a Martin Avenue man asked for $93 to compensate for 19 ducks killed by stray dogs, Councilman J. Bennie Jennings Jr. noted the man lived in a district zoned for single-family homes on small lots. The Martin Avenue man received $53.30 for the loss of his ducks but the council voted to refer the question of proper zoning for livestock and poultry breeding to the Planning Commission. The city's planners recommended that farm animals be limited to three zoning districts.
"Planning Department Director Milton Perry told the council the new ordinance would not apply to bonafide farms in areas subsequently zoned for residential use.
"Also, the law would not affect persons in resmdential (sic) zones who currently maintain limited numbers of farm animals for their own use. Such situations would be classified as non-conforming uses and so long as such residents did not discontinue keeping farm animals for as much as two years they could keep their poultry and livestock."
With subsequent changes that have been made in state and local laws, the potential for residents with poultry to run the City's coffers dry with spurious livestock claims has been prevented, as explained in 4 Chesapeake Hens' "Further Information" document, pp. 9-11. And it is clear that the original intent of the law was to limit "poultry breeding," not the keeping of a few chickens for household use. Therefore there is no reason that the current Council cannot undo the unnecessary restrictions that have been imposed upon Chesapeake's residents over the years as an unintended consequence of this law. Flocks of up to six laying hens, kept in pens, should be allowed in all single-family residences, for all the reasons explained on this website and elsewhere.
If you agree with us, be sure to arrive at the City Council meeting this Tuesday, November 20, at 6:30 PM at City Hall on Cedar Rd. Come dressed in red and sit with us. If you desire to speak, you must sign up to speak BEFORE the meeting begins, however. Remarks are limited to five minutes and may be cut to three depending on the number of people speaking. Let City Council know you support TA-Z-12-07 with changes to allow the keeping of up to six hens and the removal of the privacy fencing requirement.
**Update: On November 20, 2012, Councilman Robert Ike made a motion to allow up to six hens, in a pen, on residential properties on single-family lots. The motion carried, 6-3.
A member of City Council, Debbie Ritter, finally suggested I contact Dolores A. Moore, our City Clerk, with a request for more research on this topic. Yesterday I received an email that contained copies of minutes from both the Planning Commission and from the City Council where chickens were mentioned. These minutes date back to April 12, 1966, which is even before zoning was legally adopted in Chesapeake. Even then, there is a suggestion that the City preserve tracts of "two or three acres of land" for residents who desire to keep "ponies and chickens."
However, chickens and other poultry were allowed in the residential areas of Chesapeake up until June 17, 1975, when Council voted to allow "livestock, poultry, and other animals not commonly kept as pets" only in the A-1, RE-1, and (now defunct) C-1 Districts. The ordinance went into effect thirty days after its adoption. But even then the minutes make clear that it was the intention of the City to continue to allow residents who already had livestock to continue to do so under a "non-conforming use" unless the residents had stopped for one year, at which point they would not be allowed to begin again.
The only record of any objection to the new law was made by a Mr. Joseph T. Hall of 1385 Elbow Road at the Planning Commission meeting on May 19, 1975, which recommended the adoption of this ordinance. Mr. Hall owned a property zoned R-15s in the South Norfolk borough of Chesapeake, and he had tenants there who kept chickens. When informed that the ordinance "would prohibit the future keeping of animals not commonly classed as household pets on the property," Hall objected to the ordinance.
This ordinance must have generated some confusion or potential confusion about what constituted livestock, because on February 15, 2005, City Council Member Ritter made a motion to approve TA-Z-04-09, an ordinance "to clarify that rabbits, fish, and other animals can be kept as pets under certain circumstances." Council Members Burkhimer, Hayes, Krasnoff, de Triquet, Edge, Newman, Parker, Ritter, and Willis unanimously voted for the measure. Up to ten rabbits were allowed as pets under the ordinance, but domestic fowl were still prohibited.
These minutes answer the questions of when hens were prohibited, but not the question of why. Was the problem increased urban density, as Zoning Administrator John King once told me? Was it due to the mythical problems that chickens presumably cause? Or was there any evidence back in 1975 for the types of potential problems outlined in the Staff Report that 4 Chesapeake Hens has thoroughly rebutted?
To answer that question, I searched through old microfilms of newspapers from June of 1975. A few hours' search turned up an article from the Ledger-Star, dated Thursday, June 19, 1975. I will quote from this article, "New Law Prohibits Farm Animals in City," below:
"The new regulation is based on a request by the council in January and generated from a claim for the city to pay the value of ducks killed in a residential zone.
"The claim was based on state law requiring cities and counties to reimburse residents when their livestock is fatally wounded by wild dogs.
"In the past several months, as more and more residents have asked for reimbursement from the city, the council has grown increasingly skeptical of their requests.
"When a Martin Avenue man asked for $93 to compensate for 19 ducks killed by stray dogs, Councilman J. Bennie Jennings Jr. noted the man lived in a district zoned for single-family homes on small lots. The Martin Avenue man received $53.30 for the loss of his ducks but the council voted to refer the question of proper zoning for livestock and poultry breeding to the Planning Commission. The city's planners recommended that farm animals be limited to three zoning districts.
"Planning Department Director Milton Perry told the council the new ordinance would not apply to bonafide farms in areas subsequently zoned for residential use.
"Also, the law would not affect persons in resmdential (sic) zones who currently maintain limited numbers of farm animals for their own use. Such situations would be classified as non-conforming uses and so long as such residents did not discontinue keeping farm animals for as much as two years they could keep their poultry and livestock."
With subsequent changes that have been made in state and local laws, the potential for residents with poultry to run the City's coffers dry with spurious livestock claims has been prevented, as explained in 4 Chesapeake Hens' "Further Information" document, pp. 9-11. And it is clear that the original intent of the law was to limit "poultry breeding," not the keeping of a few chickens for household use. Therefore there is no reason that the current Council cannot undo the unnecessary restrictions that have been imposed upon Chesapeake's residents over the years as an unintended consequence of this law. Flocks of up to six laying hens, kept in pens, should be allowed in all single-family residences, for all the reasons explained on this website and elsewhere.
If you agree with us, be sure to arrive at the City Council meeting this Tuesday, November 20, at 6:30 PM at City Hall on Cedar Rd. Come dressed in red and sit with us. If you desire to speak, you must sign up to speak BEFORE the meeting begins, however. Remarks are limited to five minutes and may be cut to three depending on the number of people speaking. Let City Council know you support TA-Z-12-07 with changes to allow the keeping of up to six hens and the removal of the privacy fencing requirement.
**Update: On November 20, 2012, Councilman Robert Ike made a motion to allow up to six hens, in a pen, on residential properties on single-family lots. The motion carried, 6-3.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Crunch Time 4 Chesapeake Hens
Laying hens are back on the agenda for Chesapeake City Council. Our organization, 4 Chesapeake Hens, has been trying to get backyard micro-flocks of six laying hens legalized for single-family residences throughout Chesapeake, VA. (Why six? Click here). The current laws allow chickens only on land zoned agricultural. There is one exception: residents who own RE-1 "residential estates" of three acres or more may keep up to four hens, no roosters, in a pen as household pets. In effect, you must have the money to have substantial land in Chesapeake to raise your own fresh eggs. We have been working hard to change that!
Our organization inexplicably suffered a setback at a Planning Commission hearing, as explained in prior posts: click here for the Commission meeting itself, here for our group's frustration at the lack of commentary by the Commissioners who voted against hens, and here for Commissioner Adam Perry's comments on backyard hens. Our official position is that we support a proposed change to existing ordinances, TA-Z-12-07, with changes to allow up to six hens and the removal of the privacy fencing requirement. The hens will already be required to stay in a pen, and the privacy fence will be an unnecessary and cumbersome financial burden for those who merely want a few fresh eggs!
We have new members joining us on Facebook every day. If you are new and want to know what you can do to help, here is a list:
If you care, be there! And bring family, coworkers, and friends.
If you have any questions, post them on Facebook or comment here, and I'll get back to you. If you want to learn more about urban laying hens, our research page is a great place to start. We also have a YouTube Channel that highlights our efforts in front of City Council and the Planning Commission in recent months. The Planning Commission meeting is especially motivating. Not one person spoke against the hens, several spoke for, but the Commissioners voted against them without one word of explanation: not what I expect from my tax dollars at work!
Update: On November 20, Chesapeake City Council voted 6-3 to allow hens with certain restriction in residential areas.
Our organization inexplicably suffered a setback at a Planning Commission hearing, as explained in prior posts: click here for the Commission meeting itself, here for our group's frustration at the lack of commentary by the Commissioners who voted against hens, and here for Commissioner Adam Perry's comments on backyard hens. Our official position is that we support a proposed change to existing ordinances, TA-Z-12-07, with changes to allow up to six hens and the removal of the privacy fencing requirement. The hens will already be required to stay in a pen, and the privacy fence will be an unnecessary and cumbersome financial burden for those who merely want a few fresh eggs!
We have new members joining us on Facebook every day. If you are new and want to know what you can do to help, here is a list:
- Like our Facebook page for the latest news and information.
- Print up flyers to distribute in likely places, such as at feed stores or with sympathetic coworkers.
- Consider sending an email such as this one to friends who are Chesapeake residents. Be sure to sign it!
- Contact the mayor and city council members to let them know how you feel. Be polite and respectful.
- Most of all, COME to the City Council meeting on November 20. Some Councilors fail to realize how many residents from all across our city and from all walks of life care about this issue and support hens. Since the Planning Commission voted against us 4-3, there will be a negative recommendation against us. We need a huge show of support to counter this. Wear red, the color of the "Little Red Hen," and bring every supporter you can round up for us.
If you care, be there! And bring family, coworkers, and friends.
If you have any questions, post them on Facebook or comment here, and I'll get back to you. If you want to learn more about urban laying hens, our research page is a great place to start. We also have a YouTube Channel that highlights our efforts in front of City Council and the Planning Commission in recent months. The Planning Commission meeting is especially motivating. Not one person spoke against the hens, several spoke for, but the Commissioners voted against them without one word of explanation: not what I expect from my tax dollars at work!
Update: On November 20, Chesapeake City Council voted 6-3 to allow hens with certain restriction in residential areas.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Bathroom Remodel
We interrupt this blog post about gardening and longed-for chickens to announce that our bathroom remodel is complete.
Yes, Don Burke, my new husband, promised me the sun, but he promised me fresh, clean bathrooms as well. Our house was built in the 60s, and the bathrooms were so hideously decorated and in such bad condition that Don forbade me to take "before" pictures. But the "after" pictures are gorgeous, so we're both happy to share the results with the universe.
Did I mention the bathrooms were built in the 60s? Don says the only way anyone could have ever enjoyed those rooms was to be high on some illegal substance and to view the rooms under a black light.
Seriously.
The master bathroom was decorated in maroon: maroon in the tiles, a maroon sink, and a maroon toilet. All in a tiny space the size of a closet you could hardly turn around in.
I kid you not! Plus the shower in there never worked, at least not from the time Don moved in over 20 years ago.
The hall bathroom was bigger, but it wasn't handicap-friendly, which Don and I want to plan for, since we plan to age out in this house. The door was extremely narrow, too narrow for even the slimmest of wheelchairs. The tub was so close to the toilet that, if you had a broken leg, you wouldn't be able to use the toilet, because you'd have no place to stretch your leg out. So, in effect, we had no more room than in the master bathroom.
And the color scheme was just as hideous: beige and a lighter-than-avocado green in the tile, and the same, hideous green in the sink, the toilet, and the tub.
I actually liked the old tub, but everything had to go, because we had to tear down the bathroom completely to make more room. We decided to turn it into a 3/4 bath with a shower instead of a tub. We tore out a closet to gain some much-needed leg room. The whole footprint of the bathroom changed.
I had gone to the local public library to get some books with some remodeling ideas. We hired a local company with a great reputation, Jerry Harris Remodeling, to do the work. Jerry Harris' team did a great job of making my vision a reality, and they made it look easy.
Don was wonderful. He let me pick out almost everything: the tiles, the colors, the fixtures, etc. He picked out a medicine cabinet and the light fixtures, because he's picky about lighting. But, other than that, he let me do the shopping.
What a great husband!
 |
| The New Master Bathroom |
Yes, Don Burke, my new husband, promised me the sun, but he promised me fresh, clean bathrooms as well. Our house was built in the 60s, and the bathrooms were so hideously decorated and in such bad condition that Don forbade me to take "before" pictures. But the "after" pictures are gorgeous, so we're both happy to share the results with the universe.
Did I mention the bathrooms were built in the 60s? Don says the only way anyone could have ever enjoyed those rooms was to be high on some illegal substance and to view the rooms under a black light.
Seriously.
The master bathroom was decorated in maroon: maroon in the tiles, a maroon sink, and a maroon toilet. All in a tiny space the size of a closet you could hardly turn around in.
I kid you not! Plus the shower in there never worked, at least not from the time Don moved in over 20 years ago.
 |
| Master Bathroom Sink |
The hall bathroom was bigger, but it wasn't handicap-friendly, which Don and I want to plan for, since we plan to age out in this house. The door was extremely narrow, too narrow for even the slimmest of wheelchairs. The tub was so close to the toilet that, if you had a broken leg, you wouldn't be able to use the toilet, because you'd have no place to stretch your leg out. So, in effect, we had no more room than in the master bathroom.
 |
| Our New Hall Bathroom |
And the color scheme was just as hideous: beige and a lighter-than-avocado green in the tile, and the same, hideous green in the sink, the toilet, and the tub.
I actually liked the old tub, but everything had to go, because we had to tear down the bathroom completely to make more room. We decided to turn it into a 3/4 bath with a shower instead of a tub. We tore out a closet to gain some much-needed leg room. The whole footprint of the bathroom changed.
I had gone to the local public library to get some books with some remodeling ideas. We hired a local company with a great reputation, Jerry Harris Remodeling, to do the work. Jerry Harris' team did a great job of making my vision a reality, and they made it look easy.
 |
| The Hall Bathroom Finally Has Enough Room! |
Don was wonderful. He let me pick out almost everything: the tiles, the colors, the fixtures, etc. He picked out a medicine cabinet and the light fixtures, because he's picky about lighting. But, other than that, he let me do the shopping.
What a great husband!
 |
| The Hall Shower Has a Bench |
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Overlay Districts vs. Chesapeake Hens
Our group, 4 Chesapeake Hens, is trying to get micro-flocks of up to six laying hens legalized in residential areas in Chesapeake, Virginia. The Planning Commission has voted against our initial efforts to do this by one vote in a split decision. We may never know the Commissioners' true reasons for voting against us because there was no public discussion or debate against the chickens at the meeting. Those who voted against us have not even given us reasons in our follow-up contacts with them, other than something vague to the effect that the Staff Report seemed thorough and sufficient.
Except that it was not. Our group has researched further information on the Staff Report that we intend to share with City Council. In the meantime, the part of the Staff Report that disturbs me the most is this one:
... It's me, again. What bothers me most about this portion of the document is that it is completely clueless about the "urban homesteader" point of view or the other national movements that are behind the interest in gardening. It is clueless regarding WHY an interest in urban chickens is sweeping this nation. Why should hens be banned due to something as arbitrary as an overlay district, if there is nothing intrinsically undesirable about the chickens? We are not asking for a dismantling of these districts, but merely permission to keep a few chickens like any other pet. Doing so will make Chesapeake an even better, more desirable place to live. Residents will be able to enjoy organic gardening and permaculture without leaving their own yards.
Here we are, doing our best to combat urban sprawl and preserve the environment. We also want to live in the residential areas where infrastructure is already in place to support our homes. Some of us are taking older, beat-up homes in residential areas and fixing them up. We hire local remodeling, heating and air-conditioning companies, and other local businesses to do this, thus contributing to the local economy. We generally spend our local dollars as locally as we can.
We want a small spread to reduce our need for lawn mowing because this process takes a lot of time and is very polluting. We are trying to lessen the impact of our properties even more by replacing relatively unproductive lawn that requires mowing with useful vegetable gardens that do not. We desire to live close to our work and recreational activities to save on time and fuel. Our commitment is to residential areas, and we see hens as part of our environmental commitment and as assistants in fertilizing and maintaining these lawns and gardens without the use of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and other products made from petroleum. They will even help us till our garden beds without the use of noisy, smelly, gasoline-powered tools.
While some of us can't afford to move to a farm or an RE-1 residential estate, others do not want to do so even if we can afford to. The Staff Report suggests that we add to urban sprawl and to the long lines of automobiles sitting on Highway 64 every weekday morning and afternoon. It suggests we burden the City with the need for even more roads and other infrastructure to support this sprawl, all at taxpayer expense. It tells us the solution is not to object to the restrictions regarding laying hens, but to simply move if we don't like this arbitrary and unnecessary policy under the current overlay districts. And it is somehow confident that residents who are willing to give up other amenities and move for the sake of a few chickens will choose to remain in Chesapeake, instead of looking somewhere in North Carolina or elsewhere where the taxes are lower. Does this sound like sound, proactive city planning as our nation watches fuel prices spike and the approach of peak oil? Is it well-considered in a time of prolonged recession and difficult-to-obtain home mortgages? And if residents of the residential overlay district are so vehemently opposed to a few pet hens next door, where have they been at the public hearings on this matter?
Furthermore, I fail to see how a few pet chickens can threaten an entire overlay district, while a few pet parrots or rabbits cannot. This is totally overblown and illogical.
Our group is far from done in making its case before City Council. Others interested in helping with this effort are urged to contact City Council members, to like our Facebook page, and to sit with us, dressed in red, at City Council meetings. The most important of these is coming up on November 20, 2012, when the "hen issue" is back on the agenda for City Council. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM. If you care, BE there!
Except that it was not. Our group has researched further information on the Staff Report that we intend to share with City Council. In the meantime, the part of the Staff Report that disturbs me the most is this one:
... It's me, again. What bothers me most about this portion of the document is that it is completely clueless about the "urban homesteader" point of view or the other national movements that are behind the interest in gardening. It is clueless regarding WHY an interest in urban chickens is sweeping this nation. Why should hens be banned due to something as arbitrary as an overlay district, if there is nothing intrinsically undesirable about the chickens? We are not asking for a dismantling of these districts, but merely permission to keep a few chickens like any other pet. Doing so will make Chesapeake an even better, more desirable place to live. Residents will be able to enjoy organic gardening and permaculture without leaving their own yards.
Here we are, doing our best to combat urban sprawl and preserve the environment. We also want to live in the residential areas where infrastructure is already in place to support our homes. Some of us are taking older, beat-up homes in residential areas and fixing them up. We hire local remodeling, heating and air-conditioning companies, and other local businesses to do this, thus contributing to the local economy. We generally spend our local dollars as locally as we can.
We want a small spread to reduce our need for lawn mowing because this process takes a lot of time and is very polluting. We are trying to lessen the impact of our properties even more by replacing relatively unproductive lawn that requires mowing with useful vegetable gardens that do not. We desire to live close to our work and recreational activities to save on time and fuel. Our commitment is to residential areas, and we see hens as part of our environmental commitment and as assistants in fertilizing and maintaining these lawns and gardens without the use of fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and other products made from petroleum. They will even help us till our garden beds without the use of noisy, smelly, gasoline-powered tools.
While some of us can't afford to move to a farm or an RE-1 residential estate, others do not want to do so even if we can afford to. The Staff Report suggests that we add to urban sprawl and to the long lines of automobiles sitting on Highway 64 every weekday morning and afternoon. It suggests we burden the City with the need for even more roads and other infrastructure to support this sprawl, all at taxpayer expense. It tells us the solution is not to object to the restrictions regarding laying hens, but to simply move if we don't like this arbitrary and unnecessary policy under the current overlay districts. And it is somehow confident that residents who are willing to give up other amenities and move for the sake of a few chickens will choose to remain in Chesapeake, instead of looking somewhere in North Carolina or elsewhere where the taxes are lower. Does this sound like sound, proactive city planning as our nation watches fuel prices spike and the approach of peak oil? Is it well-considered in a time of prolonged recession and difficult-to-obtain home mortgages? And if residents of the residential overlay district are so vehemently opposed to a few pet hens next door, where have they been at the public hearings on this matter?
Furthermore, I fail to see how a few pet chickens can threaten an entire overlay district, while a few pet parrots or rabbits cannot. This is totally overblown and illogical.
Our group is far from done in making its case before City Council. Others interested in helping with this effort are urged to contact City Council members, to like our Facebook page, and to sit with us, dressed in red, at City Council meetings. The most important of these is coming up on November 20, 2012, when the "hen issue" is back on the agenda for City Council. The meeting starts at 6:30 PM. If you care, BE there!
Update: On November 20, Chesapeake City Council voted 6-3 to allow hens with certain restriction in residential areas.
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