This is from the recent article:
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After a two year effort, the City Council took a final vote on allowing backyard chickens by right in residential zones, shooting it down with five in favor, and seven opposed.
__, who had been shepherding the amended ordinance through the City Council, said the ordinance had been amended again to allow six hens, no roosters, in lots of 7,500 square feet; nine hens in lots of 20,000 square feet and 12 hens in 40,000 square feet. He said the lot lines, which called for coops to be 15 feet from property lines and 30 feet from any structures, remained the same.
However, __ said if councilors did not feel the setbacks were enough, he would entertain amendments.
He then deferred to Councilor ___, chair of Zoning, Planning and Development, who reported that the committee had voted 2 to 1 in favor of the amended ordinance. __ has said she is voting against the ordinance.
Councilor __, another proponent of the ordinance who had made the original attempt to allow for backyard chickens two years ago, said he liked that change that said anybody can go for a special permit if they want more chickens. He said he also liked the requirement that chickens would have to be registered with the animal control officer, which then gives the officer permission to inspect the coop. “Nice job, thank you for all your work,” he said.
Councilor __ said she understood the passions on both sides, but said in the last few meetings on the topic, three ward councilors said they were opposed to the new ordinance. She asked for the opinion of the Ward 5 councilor, Council President __.
“I have a problem with by right,” he said.
Ward 3 Councilor ___, who said she is generally “pro-chicken,” said she had a problem with the minimum lot size of 7,500 square feet. She said she had been looking around some of the denser sections in her ward. “If everybody gets chickens, that will be way too many chickens,” she said.
She called for an amendment to increase the minimum size lot to 10,000 square feet, which passed 7 to 5.
Ward 4 Councilor __ then said he, like this Ward 3 colleague, was not against chickens. “They’re all around my home, but most of the people there have more than 5 acres,” he said, adding, they also have roosters and other fowl.
“What bothers me the most about this and why I can’t vote for this is by right. I’ll leave it at that,” he said.
__, who represents Ward One, said when she first became a councilor, she had a bad experience with chickens and rats, and a dog died. “I just feel that people who have a home in Residential A are not looking to have chickens in their backyards. I don’t think it’s fair to have neighbors having to pit one against the other. You may like your neighbor, but not like chickens and therefore you’re not supporting your neighbor,” she said, adding she thinks it will cause more trouble than it’s worth.
Addressing the question of food insecurity, she said she doesn’t think having backyard chickens will solve the problem. “I agree that there is food insecurity in __,” __ said. She said she put a list together of all of the food pantries and meal programs in __, including the Boys and Girls Club sponsoring lunches all summer long for children at playgrounds and locations around the city.
“I will submit this to the city clerk, and if anybody’s looking for that she could distribute it, because I never would want to vote for anything that would hurt food insecurity,” __ added.
She also said that a chicken coop costs around $300, plus bedding that has to be changed every day, plus the cost of feed, which is an expense that not everybody may be able to manage. “I just think that it’s not a good fit for residential areas,” __ said.
__ moved the question after commenting that the room has been filled with people in the gallery that want chickens on their properties. He also said 95% of Massachusetts municipalities allow chickens in some form, “but we’re going to say no.”
City Planner __ said after the meeting that the current chicken regulations will remain, which may be found in zoning Article 3-40.4 (18).
“If you have 5-plus acres, you can keep livestock — including chickens — basically a farm. But ‘backyard chickens’ usually refers to smaller residential lots, and the current regulations only allow these chickens in the Rural Residential district — mostly the outlying areas — and with a planning board special permit, at six max, no roosters,” he said.
“Special permits are intimidating and expensive, nearly $500 for all associated costs. I think there have been only about three chicken permits ever applied for or issued in Westfield, and I know there are a lot more coops around. With Council’s vote sending a message, despite Planning Board’s positive recommendation, I might expect stricter enforcement to occur — so there may need to be several chickens rehomed outside of town,” he added.
__ also expressed his disappointment. “I am extremely disappointed. I thought we had addressed the major issues from opposing councilors,” he said.
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