ACTION REQUESTED:
Title
Communication from the City Manager and Director of Community Development with a Request to Concur with the Recommendation from the Planning and Zoning Commission and Staff to ADOPT the Following:
A. An ORDINANCE Amending APPENDIX B of the CODE of the City of Peoria Relating to BEEKEEPING; and,
B. An ORDINANCE Amending APPENDIX C of the CODE of the City of Peoria Relating to BEEKEEPING.
Body
BACKGROUND:
At the March 22, 2016 City Council meeting, several questions were raised related to beekeeping. The questions that were not answered at that meeting are found below:
• Can the City consider allowing chickens within the corporate boundaries?
o City staff will research this issue and provide a report back to Council this summer.
• Will beekeepers be required to provide a copy of their State license before being permitted to establish hives in Peoria?
o Yes. A beekeeper must provide a copy of a State license as part of their application for a City permit.
• Will beekeeping be considered a business?
o In the vast majority of cases, beekeeping in urban areas is a hobby. Any honey or other product not used for personal purposes is typically sold at farmers markets or similar events.
o If honey were to be sold from a residential property, the property owner must follow all of the existing requirements for a home occupation use. This would include hours of operation, no exterior signs, and a limited number of visitors each day.
• Can honey and other products be sold from roadside stands?
o The Zoning Ordinance currently allows limited use of stands to sell produce. We would consider the sale of honey or related items as produce for this purpose.
• Are neighbors safe from a beehive?
o If a beehive is properly maintained, there is very little risk of any injury to surrounding residents. Honeybees are not aggressive insects, and the requirement to install a flyway barrier significantly reduces the potential for accidental interaction between bees and people.
o To expand upon the safety precautions in the original ordinance, the setback requirement from adjoining property lines has been increased from five feet to ten feet.
The proposed text amendments allow beekeeping as a use permitted with administrative approval. The keeping of bees is currently not permitted.
The State of Illinois requires registration of all bee keeping; those not registered are declared a nuisance. The State regulations focus mostly on the type of bees kept, diseased or parasitized colonies, and the movement of bees.
The proposed local Ordinance addresses:
§ The approval process
§ Setbacks
§ Screening
§ Water requirements
§ Swarm control
§ Signage on vacant property
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5 - 0 to recommend approval.
FINANCIAL IMPACT: N/A
NEIGHBORHOOD CONCERNS: N/A
IMPACT IF APPROVED: The Code will allow beekeeping in all zoning districts.
IMPACT IF DENIED: The Code will continue to prohibit beekeeping.
ALTERNATIVES: N/A
EEO CERTIFICATION NUMBER: N/A
WHICH OF THE GOALS IDENTIFIED IN THE COUNCIL’S 2014 - 2029 STRATEGIC PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION ADVANCE?
1. Grow Peoria: Businesses, Jobs, and Population
2. Attractive Neighborhoods with Character: Safe and Livable
WHICH CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTOR(S) FROM THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN DOES THIS RECOMMENDATION IMPLEMENT?
1. Support sustainability.
2. Reinvest in neighborhoods.
DEPARTMENT: Community Development