11-08-2021 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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AGENDA ITEM Prepared By: Laura Oakden Reviewed By: J. Barnhart Approved By 1. Purpose. Amend the definition for animal units to include up to 6 honey bee hives per animal unit. 2. Background. The City of Orono regulates honeybees as farm animals. Non-commercial Farm animals for the use of occupants of premises are permitted in the rural districts as an accessory use and in the lakeshore districts as a conditional use permit. Farm Animals, other than horses, require a minimum 2 acres of land. The number of farm animals allowed is based on animal units and number of acres on a property. Animal units are, in part, established based on weight. The animal unit equivalent for Honey Bees has not been established. For Example: A 4 acre property in the RR-1B District could have 12 animal units: 1 acre for the dwelling and one acre for each animal unit. This property would be allowed 3 animal units (3 horses, cows or steer, donkeys, or alpacas; 6 pigs, or 9 sheep or goats, or 75 chickens). Based on research provided by the University of Minnesota, Staff recommended to the Planning Commission that 6 hives be considered an animal unit. In the example above, this property would allow up to 18 hives. 3. Planning Commission Vote and Comment. On October 18th the Planning Commission held a public hearing. Following the public hearing, the Planning Commission voted 5-0 on a motion to amend the city code to remove honey bees from the list of defined farm animals and to list honey bees as a conditional use in the lakeshore zoning district allowing 12 hives per acre. Commissioners discussed the current city code and honey bee regulations. Commissioner Bollis opposed putting a number limit on the allowed number of hives. He discussed the point that honeybees have a symbiotic relationship with other farm animals and should not be counted towards an animal unit. Additionally, wetlands are currently left out of land totals when calculating animal units on a property and Commissioner Bollis suggesting that wetland need to be counted toward total acreage. It was suggested to remove the honeybee from the definition of farm animals so it would not count to a properties animal unit. Bollis also suggested increasing the suggested limit to 12 hives per acre. Staff cannot support the Planning Commission’s recommendation. Not listing honey bees as farm animals, but regulating them as conditional use in the lake district has the effect of prohibiting them in the rural districts. Further, the trigger for this amendment was to provide guidance to property owners seeking advice on the regulation; being silent on the regulation does not address that problem. However, the commission did note the different impacts of honeybee hives and land based animals (need for pasture/ grazing, waste creation, etc.). Also, it is important to note, these regulations are intended for animals with non-commercial purpose, and for the occupants of the premises. 4. Public Comment. No public comment was received. COUNCIL ACTION REQUESTED City Council should review the staff’s amendment as proposed in Exhibit B and provide a direction. Item No.: 6 Date: November 8, 2021 Item Description: LA21-000065 – City of Orono Text Amendment – Animal Units, Honeybees – Ordinance 263, Third Series Presenter: Laura Oakden Planner Agenda Section: Community Development Report