Here is an e-mail that I sent to the Fort Collins City Council in support of our initiative. And remember, the city council meeting is coming up! Tuesday, June 3rd @ 6:00pm - City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave
Dear Mayor and Fort Collins City Council Members,
On behalf of the Fort Collins Urban Hen Coalition, I would like to thank you for your consideration of the Urban Hen Initiative.
Raising chickens in an urban setting is very different than how they are raised on a farm. The practice of keeping a small number of chickens in portable enclosures called 'chicken arks' is very common in England as well as many US cities.
There are three very public and successful models for raising chickens in the city that we would like to see adopted in Fort Collins.
Seattle, WA - Seattle Tilth is a nationally recognized non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating a sustainable community.
http://www.seattletilth.org/resources/City%20Chickens/view?searchterm=chicken
Portland, OR - Growing Gardens gets at the root of hunger in Portland, Oregon. They support low income households for three years with seeds, plants, classes, mentors and more. This year they plan on adding chickens to their program as well.
http://www.growing-gardens.org/portland-gardening-resources/chickens.php
Madison, WI - Mad City Chickens started out as a group of like-minded, pro-poultry people (also known as the "poultry underground"). Their aim is to educate the urban population on the benefits of raising ones own food, and to bring to light the misconceptions people might have about the raising of poultry in an urban setting.
http://www.madcitychickens.com/
I have been in contact with individuals from each of these programs and am very excited about the prospect of having Fort Collins added to the list of progressive cities dedicated to the ideals of sustainability and food security.
I welcome any questions that you may have concerning our proposal and look forward to sharing our vision for Fort Collins at the upcoming City Council meeting.
Regards,
Dan Brown
fortcollinshens@gmail.com
970-391-6561
www.fortcollins-urbanhens.blogspot.com
"Petition of Support"
One energetic member of the Fort Collins Urban Hen Coalition took the time to create a "petition of support" for the Chicken Initiative. If you are interested in getting a copy of this to distribute, please contact us at fortcollinshens(at)gmail.com. You can find the text of the petition here: http://groups.google.com/group/fortcollinshens
Please submit any signatures to me by 5:00 on Monday (6/2) so that they can be compiled for the Tuesday night City Council meeting!!
Please submit any signatures to me by 5:00 on Monday (6/2) so that they can be compiled for the Tuesday night City Council meeting!!
Pics of nice chicken digs
I added some pics showing that urban hens can be very attractive and pleasant backyard pets. Got tired of the negative image that some folks were trying to paint. They say a picture is worth a thousand words...
Urban Hens Make the Front Page
Well, it looks like my hopes for this going through the process quietly were dashed when the Coloradoan put us on the front page on Friday. One of my goals for this project was to spark conversation around local food and sustainability issue. I'm glad that it is succeeding in that respect. Thanks to those people who have publicly shown support by adding positive comments to the article on-line.
We passed Planning and Zoning!!
Whew!! The Fort Collins Urban Hen Initiative passed the Planning and Zoning Board by a vote of 5 to 2!! Many thanks to the people who came out, and to Marti and Curtis for speaking during the public comments section.
Now I really need help getting to the next step. If you want to support this initiative, I need people to:
1. Get the word out to the community - get conversations going to educate others about urban hens. Feel free to use my slideshow.
2. Contact your City Council representative - you can find your rep here: http://www.fcgov.com/council/?departments
3. Contact me with your suggestions or questions -
phone - 391-6561
e-mail - fortcollinshens@gmail.com
4. Go to the City Council meeting on June 3rd and voice your support
Now I really need help getting to the next step. If you want to support this initiative, I need people to:
1. Get the word out to the community - get conversations going to educate others about urban hens. Feel free to use my slideshow.
2. Contact your City Council representative - you can find your rep here: http://www.fcgov.com/council/?departments
3. Contact me with your suggestions or questions -
phone - 391-6561
e-mail - fortcollinshens@gmail.com
4. Go to the City Council meeting on June 3rd and voice your support
Posting the slideshow and some other goodies
Look at the bottom of the page for the slideshow of my presentation to the Planning and Zoning Board. There is also a video from a local backyard flock, as well as a mini-documentary about the urban chicken process in Missoula, MT which passed last year.
Schedule update
Things are moving fast.
Thursday evening is the Planning and Zoning Board meeting. This hearing is open to the public. Please come if you are available. I will be giving a 5 to 10 minute presentation on our initiative.
Planning & Zoning Board Hearing
Location: City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave., Council Chambers
Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008
Time: 6:00PM - 12:00AM
Web address: http://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/planning-zoning.php
Contact Information: Angelina Sanchez-Sprague asanchezsprague@fcgov.com
Phone: 221-6525
After that are two City Council meetings. Here are the details:
City Council Regular Meeting
Location: City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave.
Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Time: 6:00PM - 10:30PM
Web address: http://fcgov.com/council
Contact Information: City Clerk's Office sagonzales@fcgov.com
Phone: 970-221-6515
City Council Regular Meeting
Location: City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave.
Date: Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Time: 6:00PM - 10:30PM
Web address: http://fcgov.com/council
Contact Information: City Clerk's Office sagonzales@fcgov.com
Phone: 970-221-6515
It is time to get people talking about the Fort Collins Urban Hen Coalition and discussing local food issues!!
Thursday evening is the Planning and Zoning Board meeting. This hearing is open to the public. Please come if you are available. I will be giving a 5 to 10 minute presentation on our initiative.
Planning & Zoning Board Hearing
Location: City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave., Council Chambers
Date: Thursday, May 15, 2008
Time: 6:00PM - 12:00AM
Web address: http://www.fcgov.com/cityclerk/planning-zoning.php
Contact Information: Angelina Sanchez-Sprague asanchezsprague@fcgov.com
Phone: 221-6525
After that are two City Council meetings. Here are the details:
City Council Regular Meeting
Location: City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave.
Date: Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Time: 6:00PM - 10:30PM
Web address: http://fcgov.com/council
Contact Information: City Clerk's Office sagonzales@fcgov.com
Phone: 970-221-6515
City Council Regular Meeting
Location: City Hall West, 300 LaPorte Ave.
Date: Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Time: 6:00PM - 10:30PM
Web address: http://fcgov.com/council
Contact Information: City Clerk's Office sagonzales@fcgov.com
Phone: 970-221-6515
It is time to get people talking about the Fort Collins Urban Hen Coalition and discussing local food issues!!
Step one complete.
I sat in on the Planning and Zoning Worksession and listened to the concerns raised by our proposal.
All in all, I'd say that the P&Z worksession on Friday went well. It does seem that there will still need work to be done to educate folks on chickeny matters, but it feels doable. I was a bit disheartened that the representative from the Police Department just repeated the earlier concerns about noise, disease, 'gateway animal', etc. I'm not sure if Ted on the P&Z board did not pass our responses on to them, or if they just ignored them.
Their concerns are:
>> Disease of the birds
>> Disease of the remains
>> Precedent setting for ducks, geese, pigs, pygmy goats, etc.
>> Noise,
>> Predatory issues of acceptable pets in the neighborhood
In addition, it was asked that I try to find out if complaints about urban hens increased after the passage of similar measures in other cities.
Addressing these concerns will be my focus this week, as the P&Z meeting is on Thursday...
If any of you have ideas or would like to help prepare for Thursday, please let me know.
All in all, I'd say that the P&Z worksession on Friday went well. It does seem that there will still need work to be done to educate folks on chickeny matters, but it feels doable. I was a bit disheartened that the representative from the Police Department just repeated the earlier concerns about noise, disease, 'gateway animal', etc. I'm not sure if Ted on the P&Z board did not pass our responses on to them, or if they just ignored them.
Their concerns are:
>> Disease of the birds
>> Disease of the remains
>> Precedent setting for ducks, geese, pigs, pygmy goats, etc.
>> Noise,
>> Predatory issues of acceptable pets in the neighborhood
In addition, it was asked that I try to find out if complaints about urban hens increased after the passage of similar measures in other cities.
Addressing these concerns will be my focus this week, as the P&Z meeting is on Thursday...
If any of you have ideas or would like to help prepare for Thursday, please let me know.
Chickens inspire logo
I received an e-mail from Dave Bartecchi saying that after reading the blog he "was inspired by the urban hen movement and put together a logo". Wow!! You can see what he made in the sidebar on the right.
The Schedule
Well, now we need to see this through the process of Fort Collins city government. The schedule is as follows:
Planning and Zoning Board Worksession - Friday, May 9th, Noon, 281 North College Ave. conference room A.
The public may attend this Worksession, but may only observe the process unless asked for input by the chairperson. The public will have every opportunity to participate in the last 3 steps of the process:
Planning and Zoning Board Hearing - Thursday, May 15th, 6:00 p.m. City Council Chambers, 300 LaPorte Ave.
City Council First Reading - Tuesday, June 3rd.
City Council Second Reading - Tuesday, July 1st.
I will be attending the worksession to be available for any clarification of the proposal and also to judge the reception of the proposal. After this meeting the real organizing work will start.
Planning and Zoning Board Worksession - Friday, May 9th, Noon, 281 North College Ave. conference room A.
The public may attend this Worksession, but may only observe the process unless asked for input by the chairperson. The public will have every opportunity to participate in the last 3 steps of the process:
Planning and Zoning Board Hearing - Thursday, May 15th, 6:00 p.m. City Council Chambers, 300 LaPorte Ave.
City Council First Reading - Tuesday, June 3rd.
City Council Second Reading - Tuesday, July 1st.
I will be attending the worksession to be available for any clarification of the proposal and also to judge the reception of the proposal. After this meeting the real organizing work will start.
Not so easy there, boy...
Well, I submitted my proposal to the city and figured that it would be a good idea to see if there were others who had an affection for chickens who would be supportive, if push came to shove. I contacted Gailmarie Kimmel with the Local Living Economy Project and Kelly Falbo with the Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association. Through them, I have found a very supportive group of folks who have helped me see this as bigger than a goofy idea for one guy to enjoy hens in his yard. Even the Planning and Zoning folks were surprisingly supportive. The only opposition so far has come from the Police Department during the Neighborhood Task Force meeting where this issue was raised by the Land Use staff. As a result of the concerns raised by Chief Harrison of the Fort Collins Police Department, we decided to offer a set of regulations for the keeping of hens in the city. There went my idea of sticking with decriminalization... This is what Ted Shepard and I came up with:
CITIZEN INITIATED TEXT AMENDMENT
Item 801 – Amend 5.1.2 – Definition of Farm Animals – to allow up to six chicken hens in the City.
Problem Statement
The Current Planning Department has accepted an application for a Text Amendment to change the definition of Farm Animals in order to allow up to six chicken hens in all zones of the City. Chickens are presently included in the definition and, therefore, are allowed only in the zones which allow Farm Animals (RUL, UE, RF).
The applicants state:
Given the current climate of awareness of the issues surrounding local food production, food security, and sustainability, we propose to amend Section 5.1.2 of the Fort Collins City Land Use Code definition of Farm Animals so that Chicken Hens numbering six (6) or fewer shall be considered pets and not be considered farm animals from a Land Use Code perspective.
Whereas responsibly raised chicken hens in an urban setting are less disruptive to the public than outdoor dogs and cats (1) (2) (3) (see below); and
Whereas locally raised eggs for personal consumption are a part of the sustainable lifestyle promoted by the Fort Collins/Belleview based Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association, the Northern Colorado Local Living Economy Project; and
Whereas there have been positive and public steps taken toward the responsible raising of urban chicken hens in such cities as Seattle, WA (4); Portland, OR (5); Cedar Falls, IA (6); Missoula, MT (7); and Madison, WI (8); and
Whereas allowing the raising of urban chicken hens would fit well within the Fort Collins City Plan values of Sustainability, Choices, Fairness, and Fulfillment; and
Whereas in 2000 the Sondburg House Chicken Coop was granted Historic Landmark designation by the city of Fort Collins (9) for its representation of the property's early history, thus showing a long-standing tradition of urban chicken raising in Fort Collins; and
Whereas the only impediment to allowing the urban raising of hens in the city of Fort Collins is in the prohibition of Chickens in Section 5.1.2 of the Land Use Code.
Therefore, we propose the Section 5.1.2 of the Land Use Code be amended to include the following:
Chicken Hens numbering six (6) or fewer shall be considered pets and not be considered farm animals.
(1) U.S. Humane Society reports that 4.7 million Americans, mostly children, are bitten by dogs. http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/dog_care/stay_dog_bite_free/questions_and_answers_about_dog_bites/
(2) The American Bird Conservancy reports that domestic cats can have a significant negative affect on native wildlife populations, including songbirds.
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/predation.pdf
(3) An Internet search for injuries caused by chickens resulted in no statistics. It appears that chickens do not cause a significant number of injuries to make the news.
(4)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2002/0120/cover.html
(5)
http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=13510
http://www.growing-gardens.org/portland-gardening-resources/chickens.php
(6)
http://www.waterloocourier.com/articles/2006/08/28/news/top_story/6755e264e431a422862571d8004c7e08.txt
(7)
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/urban_chick_raising_chickens_in_the_city/C520/L40/
(8)
http://www.madcitychickens.com
http://www.tarazod.com/filmsmadchicks.html
(9) Sondburg House chicken coop
http://fcgov.com/cityclerk/pdf/0321ag.pdf
Proposed Solution Overview
Staff has worked with the applicant and researched other cities to find a reasonable compromise that would allow the responsible raising of chicken hens and yet protect the peace and quiet of residential neighborhoods. Amending the definition of Farm Animals in the Land Use Code would address the land use issue.
The enforcement issue, however, is covered under the Animal Control section of the City Code. The City of Fort Collins Police Department contracts out animal control services to the Larimer County Humane Society. These two entities would be responsible for responding to any complaints regarding chicken hens in neighborhoods. Based on input from these enforcement agencies, Staff will forward to City Council additional restrictions with regard to chicken hens as an amendment to Section 4.117 of the City Code:
Land Use Code:
Amend Section 5.1.2 definition of Farm Animals to retain the prohibition on roosters but allow up to six chicken hens. And, amend the Animal Control Section of the City Code.
Farm animals shall mean animals commonly raised or kept in an agricultural, rather than an urban, environment including, but not limited to, chickens, pigs, sheep, goats, horses, cattle, llamas, emus, ostriches, donkeys and mules. Chicken hens, numbering six (6) or fewer, shall be considered pets and not be considered farm animals.
City Code
Section 4-117(a)
Up to six (6) chicken hens may be allowed for the purpose of producing eggs, subject to the following restrictions:
1. No roosters are allowed.
2. No slaughtering is allowed.
3. Chicken hens shall be kept within a secure enclosure.
4. Enclosures shall be located at least fifteen (15) feet from the nearest property line.
Others have done this...
So, my research started on-line. Danged, there were other folks who had faced this same issue before. And successfully. There were reports of urban chicken wranglers from coast to coast. From New York City (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/19/dining/19yard.html?ref=style) to Seattle, WA (http://www.seattletilth.org/resources/City%20Chickens/view?searchterm=chickens). Most inspiring to me were the efforts in Missoula, MT and Madision, WI. The Cheddar Heads did it with flair and humor (http://www.madcitychickens.com/).
I researched the local ordinances and discovered that all that really stood between my and feathered friends was the definition of Farm Animals in the Planning and Zoning Code for Fort Collins. Aha! I figured that if I could get the definition of farm animals changed to exempt a few hens, heck, that would be all that was needed. Decriminalize chickens, not legalize them as the had in other places. That suited me just fine. But where to start. This is where the e-mail to my city council rep comes in. She pointed me to a contact within Planning and Zoning. I called Peter Barnes and asked him what it would take to amend the Zoning Code. He was very helpful. Through some trial and error in discovering the correct process, I finally worked with Ted Shepard to file the correct forms and submit my proposal. It went like this:
I researched the local ordinances and discovered that all that really stood between my and feathered friends was the definition of Farm Animals in the Planning and Zoning Code for Fort Collins. Aha! I figured that if I could get the definition of farm animals changed to exempt a few hens, heck, that would be all that was needed. Decriminalize chickens, not legalize them as the had in other places. That suited me just fine. But where to start. This is where the e-mail to my city council rep comes in. She pointed me to a contact within Planning and Zoning. I called Peter Barnes and asked him what it would take to amend the Zoning Code. He was very helpful. Through some trial and error in discovering the correct process, I finally worked with Ted Shepard to file the correct forms and submit my proposal. It went like this:
Supporting Documentation for the Proposed Text Amendment for Definition of Farm Animals
Given the current climate of awareness of the issues surrounding local food production, food security, and sustainability, I would like to offer the following proposal to amend Section 5.1.2 of the Fort Collins City Land Use Code definition of farm animals to include the following:
Hens numbering six (6) or fewer shall be considered pets and not be considered farm animals for the purpose of the city land use code.
************************************************************************
Whereas responsibly raised hens in an urban setting are less disruptive to the public than outdoor dogs and cats (1) (2) (3), and
whereas locally raised eggs for personal consumption are a part of the sustainable lifestyle promoted by the Fort Collins/Belleview based Rocky Mountain Sustainable Living Association, the Northern Colorado Local Living Economy Project, and
whereas there have been positive and public steps taken toward the responsible raising of urban hens in such cities as Seattle, WA (4); Portland, OR (5); Cedar Falls, IA (6);
whereas allowing the raising of urban hens would fit well within the Fort Collins City Plan values of Sustainability, Choices, Fairness, and Fulfillment, and
whereas in 2000 the Sondburg House Chicken Coop was granted Historic Landmark designation by the city of Fort Collins (9) for its representation of the property's early history, thus showing a long-standing tradition of urban chicken raising in Fort Collins, and
whereas the only impediment to allowing the urban raising of hens in the city of Fort Collins is in the wording of the Land Use Code definitions,
Be it proposed that the Fort Collins Land Use Code definitions be amended to include the following:
Hens numbering six (6) or fewer shall be considered pets and not be considered farm animals for the purpose of the city land use code.
(1) U.S. Humane Society reports that 4.7 million Americans, mostly children, are bitten by dogs. http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/dog_care/stay_dog_bite_free/questions_and_answers_about_dog_bites/
(2) The American Bird Conservancy reports that domestic cats can have a significant negative affect on native wildlife populations, including songbirds.
http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/materials/predation.pdf
(3) An Internet search for injuries caused by chickens resulted in no statistics. It appears that chickens do not cause a significant number of injuries to make the news.
(4)
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/pacificnw/2002/0120/cover.html
(5)
http://www.portlandtribune.com/features/story.php?story_id=13510
http://www.growing-gardens.org/portland-gardening-resources/chickens.php
(6)
http://www.waterloocourier.com/articles/2006/08/28/news/top_story/6755e264e431a422862571d8004c7e08.txt
(7)
http://www.newwest.net/topic/article/urban_chick_raising_chickens_in_the_city/C520/L40/
(8)
http://www.madcitychickens.com
http://www.tarazod.com/filmsmadchicks.html
(9) Sondburg House chicken coop
I just wanted to have a few hens in the back yard...
I never intended to make any changes to the world when I decided that I wanted to have some pet hens for eggs and my own entertainment. Chickens have always made me smile and I wanted to share that amusement and the appreciation of where food comes from with our children.
First, I asked our neighbors if they minded. They looked at me kind of funny, but shrugged and said "ok". I could tell that they thought I was nuts. Relatively harmless, but nuts. I think that the raised garden beds and fruit trees in suburbia were their first clue.
I started out calling the city over a year ago and initially got directed to the Planning and Zoning who said "only in certain zones". Even if it is only a few hens. And even if they are pets. I thought that this needed to change. Sure, I could go underground. Say that they were for the kids' 4-H projects. Things like that. But it became the principle of the thing in my mind pretty quickly. "Who are they to tell me that I can't raise my own eggs" kind of an attitude.
Next, I tried contacting my city council rep with questions about the legal status of urban hens. Got pointed back to Planning and Zoning and in a direction which I am still traveling.
First, I asked our neighbors if they minded. They looked at me kind of funny, but shrugged and said "ok". I could tell that they thought I was nuts. Relatively harmless, but nuts. I think that the raised garden beds and fruit trees in suburbia were their first clue.
I started out calling the city over a year ago and initially got directed to the Planning and Zoning who said "only in certain zones". Even if it is only a few hens. And even if they are pets. I thought that this needed to change. Sure, I could go underground. Say that they were for the kids' 4-H projects. Things like that. But it became the principle of the thing in my mind pretty quickly. "Who are they to tell me that I can't raise my own eggs" kind of an attitude.
Next, I tried contacting my city council rep with questions about the legal status of urban hens. Got pointed back to Planning and Zoning and in a direction which I am still traveling.
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