Floyd County says no to chickens
by Diane Wagner, staff writer Rn T.Com
8 hrs ago | 1379 views | 3 | 8 | |
download West Rome Bypass map
slideshow Any residents in a Floyd County neighborhood who got a baby chick for Easter had better ensure it doesnt make a peep.
The Floyd County Commission unanimously rejected on Tuesday a proposed ordinance that would have allowed residents to keep up to four laying hens on lots as small as 0.11 acres.
People who want to keep chickens should move to (Agricultural Residential) zones where they wont bother anyone, said Commissioner Irwin Bagwell, who grows corn and soybeans on a farm near Cave Spring.
No supporters or opponents spoke at the public hearing although Planning Director Sue Hillers presentation touched on the rise of a nationwide urban poultry trend and the benefits of regulating the activity.
People in cities all over the country are keeping chickens for the eggs and using the byproducts to fertilize their gardens, she said.
We have a lot of chickens in residential areas now and the biggest problem is theyre getting loose and damaging gardens, Hiller explained. The second biggest problem is theyre keeping roosters that tend to make noise at odd hours.
Chickens are classified as livestock under the Unified Land Development Code. The ULDC currently allows livestock in AR zones and also in Suburban Residential zones if the resident gets a special use permit.
Many subdivisions are zoned SR, and Commission Chairman Eddie Lumsden said the existing opportunities for fresh eggs seem sufficient to him.
From my perspective, enforcement becomes an issue, he said. The manpower and associated costs of enforcing an ordinance like this are problematic.
Also Tuesday, the board agreed to close the Oreburg Road railroad crossing when the new West Rome Bypass is built and open for traffic.
County Manager Kevin Poe said part of the $53 million road will cross Norfolk-Southern Railroad tracks farther north, and the company wants the closing as a trade-off for letting the Georgia Department of Transportation build an overpass.
The western leg of the bypass will connect Alabama Highway to the southwestern leg, which is under construction now between Cedartown Highway and Blacks Bluff Road.
A contract could be awarded as early as July, and construction is expected to take about three years.
Read more: RN-T.com - Rome, Georgia news, sports, business, lifestyles, weather, breaking news and more from the Rome News-Tribune.
by Diane Wagner, staff writer Rn T.Com
8 hrs ago | 1379 views | 3 | 8 | |
download West Rome Bypass map
slideshow Any residents in a Floyd County neighborhood who got a baby chick for Easter had better ensure it doesnt make a peep.
The Floyd County Commission unanimously rejected on Tuesday a proposed ordinance that would have allowed residents to keep up to four laying hens on lots as small as 0.11 acres.
People who want to keep chickens should move to (Agricultural Residential) zones where they wont bother anyone, said Commissioner Irwin Bagwell, who grows corn and soybeans on a farm near Cave Spring.
No supporters or opponents spoke at the public hearing although Planning Director Sue Hillers presentation touched on the rise of a nationwide urban poultry trend and the benefits of regulating the activity.
People in cities all over the country are keeping chickens for the eggs and using the byproducts to fertilize their gardens, she said.
We have a lot of chickens in residential areas now and the biggest problem is theyre getting loose and damaging gardens, Hiller explained. The second biggest problem is theyre keeping roosters that tend to make noise at odd hours.
Chickens are classified as livestock under the Unified Land Development Code. The ULDC currently allows livestock in AR zones and also in Suburban Residential zones if the resident gets a special use permit.
Many subdivisions are zoned SR, and Commission Chairman Eddie Lumsden said the existing opportunities for fresh eggs seem sufficient to him.
From my perspective, enforcement becomes an issue, he said. The manpower and associated costs of enforcing an ordinance like this are problematic.
Also Tuesday, the board agreed to close the Oreburg Road railroad crossing when the new West Rome Bypass is built and open for traffic.
County Manager Kevin Poe said part of the $53 million road will cross Norfolk-Southern Railroad tracks farther north, and the company wants the closing as a trade-off for letting the Georgia Department of Transportation build an overpass.
The western leg of the bypass will connect Alabama Highway to the southwestern leg, which is under construction now between Cedartown Highway and Blacks Bluff Road.
A contract could be awarded as early as July, and construction is expected to take about three years.
Read more: RN-T.com - Rome, Georgia news, sports, business, lifestyles, weather, breaking news and more from the Rome News-Tribune.
