Title
COUNCIL ITEM OF SPECIAL INTEREST: ALLOWING CHICKENS AS PETS IN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS
Staff Contact and Presenter: Sam McAllen, Director, Development Services
Staff Presenter: Jon Froke, Planning Director
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Purpose and Policy Guidance
Recommendation
At the August 4, 2015 Council Workshop, Councilmember Turner identified a Council Item of Special Interest asking staff to research allowing chickens as pets in residential neighborhoods; currently chickens are only allowed in neighborhoods with Agricultural (A-1), Rural Residential (RR-90; RR-45) and Suburban Residential (SR-30; SR-17; SR12) zoning. Staff is seeking City Council guidance regarding initiating a process to consider allowing chickens as pets in additional zoning districts.ody
Background
The city of Glendale's Zoning Ordinance was created through a public input process and was most recently adopted by City Council in 1993. The Zoning Ordinance also identifies that the Planning Director has the responsibility of interpreting the Zoning Ordinance. Since the inception of the Zoning Ordinance the city's Planning Directors have made interpretations on a variety of matters including considering chickens as household pets. In 1994 the city's Planning Director determined that "...chickens do not meet the criteria for household pets."
Jon Froke, the city's current Planning Director, authored a formal interpretation, Zoning Interpretation Record ZI11-03, on December 1, 2011 related to the raising/keeping of chickens as household pets. Mr. Froke's interpretation is consistent with prior Planning Director interpretations regarding this matter. In his interpretation, Mr. Froke notes that the Zoning Ordinance currently allows the raising of poultry, with the exception of male fowl, only in A-1, RR-90, RR-45, SR-30, SR-17 and SR-12 zoning districts. The interpretation states that the purpose of these districts is to provide a rural character with liberal livestock and animal k...
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