Urban Chicken Laws -- at the agenda meeting.

[sheclown]

City Council Members Discuss Urban Chicken Laws


A proposed change in Jacksonville’s backyard chicken laws will be discussed by two Jacksonville City Council members March 26.  This is the meeting local hen enthusiasts have been asking for!!!  Council members Doyle Carter and Don Redman will talk about the pros and cons of allowing homeowners to raise and keep a small number of pet hens for backyard egg production in residential RLD zoned areas of Jacksonville.  The proposed City Ordinance is Section 656.401 (a) (3).  This meeting will be held at City Hall, Suite 425, Conference Room

http://sustainablenorthflorida.org/jacksonville-green-event-calendar/chicken-laws-jacksonville-florida/
https://www.facebook.com/hensinjax?fref=ts

Although, I can't find it on  today's agenda. 

[Scott A Wilson]

The meeting is at 2:30 pm in the Lynwood Roberts Room which is located at 117 West Duval Street 1st floor.

[Noone]

The meeting is at 2:30 pm in the Lynwood Roberts Room which is located at 117 West Duval Street 1st floor.

Will Don or you have the  cost for the winning bid on the Jacob Jewelers clock? This should be a positive meeting. I'll FIND the time to try and make this positive compromise.

[Dog Walker]

Let's support Hens in the 'Hood!  Sarasota & St. Petersburg do along with several other cities in the state.  Friends of ours there who are professors at New College helped push changes in the law through with the slogan, "If it crows, it goes!"

There are already a lot of hens in backyards that are not disturbing anyone and are producing eggs from kitchen scraps.

Biggest problems with hens in the backyard are racoons getting in and killing them.

[Scott A Wilson]

The meeting is at 2:30 pm in the Lynwood Roberts Room which is located at 117 West Duval Street 1st floor.

Will Don or you have the  cost for the winning bid on the Jacob Jewelers clock? This should be a positive meeting. I'll FIND the time to try and make this positive compromise.

I don't have that info.

[Noone]

Excuses. But do appreciate the response back on this forum.

[Scott A Wilson]

Excuses. But do appreciate the response back on this forum.

Send me an email with your request and I will forward to Public Works for a response.

[sheclown]

I didn't make it, but from what I've heard it was a very positive meeting today with visible support from council members.

[Allan D]

 It was a very positive meeting and very well attended.  Kudos to CM Redman and Carter for setting it up and thanks to CM Yarborough, Lumb, Crescimbeni and Boyer for joining.  CM Love was tied up but his his aide Kevin Kuzel was there. 

Hensinjax founder and proponent Lauren Tradd was eloquent and informative as usual.  There was no opposition.

From small towns to big cities across the nation, this is common legislation.  It's a no brainier and I hope the years of work Lauren, Kevin and Amanda have done finally pays off in Jacksonville. 

[Noone]

Excuses. But do appreciate the response back on this forum.

Send me an email with your request and I will forward to Public Works for a response.

Scott, you and Don have ignored my emails and phone calls and please consider the request asked on this forum as an email response. We are just 21 days out from the unveiling and what is the status of this Public/Private/Partnership?

On a positive note the 3/26/13 noticed meeting in the Sunshine by Doyle Carter and Don Redman was standing room only with former Dist. 6 city councilwoman Sharon Copeland in attendance and giving the background when this issue was looked at back in 2007 on a  less intense scope of legislative reform.

Mrs. Tradd's presentation was excellent. Parents bringing their Children to this standing room only meeting had me thinking that at some point everyone was going to jump in and start singing "Old McDonald had a farm."

Councilman Lumb had asked about the land use categories and those numbers weren't quite available. But the compromise legislation that would make this a legal operation were very well explained and detailed.

The addition of Councilmembers Crescimbeni, Boyer, and Yarborough was nice and reminded everyone that their presence and taking the time to be there was also a show that the vice president position of the upcoming city council term is drawing close and that politics can be added to being on the winning side of this issue. Not one person spoke in opposition to the legislation when asked by councilman Redman.

[avs]

Just a footnote, what is being discussed is for RLD zoning.  If you are in Springfield, Riverside, Avondale, San Marco, this won't include you (in most cases).  If you are in one of these areas and want RMD zoning included I suggest that you write to council and let them know.

[Debbie Thompson]

AVS, huh?  I thought this was all about the Hens in Jax initiative.  Does RMD zoning include the limited hens that we wanted for pet chickens in the hood, and it's not being discussed?  What's being discussed so we know how to ask the question?  Don't want to let this get away because we didn't understand the acronyms!  :-)

[avs]

What HensinJax is trying to get passed is for Residential Low Density Zoning (RLD), which is a less dense zoning category.  Most properties in Springfield, Riverside, Avondale, San Marco, etc are Residential Medium Density (RMD).  Basically large lot sizes decrease the close to the core you get; next in would be High Density, such as downtown. 

[avs]

I am all for RLD having the ability to have hens too but most of the folks I have spoken to live in RMD areas of Jax

[avs]

The City Councilors said at the meeting that they wanted more information and they want the information packets delivered to the rest of the council that did not attend the meeting.  Then they are going to call another meeting.  Teh best way to make it happen is for people to let the councilors know that they want it, in medium and low density residential zoning areas.