Variance Request Letter Finally Finished. Should I Send It????????

[Carolyn252]

DH says I'm asking for trouble because my letter includes a sentence inviting the Village authorities out to see my ChickArena setup.
The Variance Request Letter is here: http://chickarinanews.blogspot.com/
I'm so hoping that it may work to raise the limit of only two hens allowed.

Maybe I should just take that sentence out?

Or maybe I should just not send the letter at all? I thought about not telling the Village anything and just getting a few more hens.
But I would hate to live in fear of being found out.

Stealth is not my middle name

DH keeps urging me to just get more hens
and keep quiet about it, but I know that's not for me.

I hunted all over BYC to see if I could find a sample letter for requesting a code variance, but when I couldn't find one, I wrote my own.
If you think it might be useful to adapt it to your town, please feel free to use any of it.
(I'd sure like some feedback from you on the letter. It took me months to write, as I kept changing it and adding to it. I'm so glad it's finally finished.

)

In addition to concerns about being turned down for a variance and then having to mount a campaign,

we're also both afraid that we may be
in violation of some code that might require a building permit for our run. I posted about that in the BYC Coop Construction board
at https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=415783 Lots of pictures there about the building of the coop and run.

We converted a kid's plastic playhouse and installed it as a free-standing chicken coop in the middle of the run.

Anyway, let me know what you think of my letter, and also whether you think I should send it with or without that invitational sentence (or not send it at all?).
I can hardly wait to hear what you all think.

-Carolyn

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

It's too long. You need to be concise and to the point about what you want to do & why, and counter any likely objections. Your letter is chatty & friendly, which is fine, but is quite rambley.

Make an outline that 1) gives an overview of your request 2) provides supporting points for why the request should be granted & 3 a brief summmation that repeats your request. The overview and summary should be at most two paragraphs each. The supporting points need to be organized so that you are not repeating yourself, but making logical progressions.

I never saw a reason stated as to why two hens is insufficient and why 8 is a better number. You need to address space issues and lot size to show that 8 is not overcrowded.


There is a sample letter in another thread that is very well-written. I'll try to find it

 

[Carolyn252]

Quote:
Thanks so much for your response. It's good, constructive criticism. I am eager to see the sample letter and hope you are able to find it.

-Carolyn