MANSFIELD — Mansfield council approved a motion to send the backyard chickens legislation–which would allow chickens to be kept on residential property smaller than three acres–back to the zoning committee for further discussion and possible revision Tuesday night.
Fifth Ward Councilman Jason Lawrence, who chairs the zoning committee, said he had some items he would like to remove from the chickens proposal, which was recently revised by the law director’s office without his notice, he said.
His concerns dealt with Section G, which states, “If the director of codes and permits denies an individual’s request for a permit under this section, said individual may submit an appeal of the denial to the city planning commission.” It then goes on to list factors that the city planning commission may consider when evaluating the appeal; one being, the possible impact on any residential property values.
“I still haven’t gotten any concrete evidence that this is going to lower property values,” Lawrence.
The legislation, which had its first reading Tuesday, is scheduled for a third and final reading on March 21. To see the legislation, click here and scroll down to Bill 17-024.
The chickens proposal was introduced to council about a year ago when a local group dubbed, Citizens for Mansfield Backyard Chicken, expressed interest in raising chickens in Mansfield.
The proposal gained momentum earlier this month when the zoning committee voted to have the legislation placed before council for a vote.
During Tuesday night’s meeting, 22 people spoke during public comment about the chicken legislation, 13 of whom voiced their support.
Bill Baker, 525 McPherson St., led people in a chant after sharing the comment, “I heard someone say, ‘Nobody wants chickens,’ and that’s not true. Over 50 people gathered on the square (for the “Flock to Council” event that night). We have over a couple 100 signatures and there is wide support for this.
“The only question I have tonight is, ‘What do we want?”
“Backyard chickens,” the crowd responded.
“When do we want it?” Baker asked.
“Now,” they exclaimed.
Some of the supporters donned chicken hats atop their heads and held “We Heart Fresh Eggs” or “Vote Yes!” signs.
That support was countered with some opposition from a number of Mansfield residents, many of whom have shared their concerns at previous meetings. Common concerns included odor, the potential detrimental impact it could have on property values, noise, cleanliness, the possibility of attracting vermin to the area, among other things.
Sherri Hartz of Ashland said she owns three houses on McPherson Street.
“As a landlord, there is a reasonable possibility I may get sued for refusing to allow my renter to keep chickens because I’ve been denying them access to nutritional food, or something similar,” she said.
She fears that if the legislation were to pass, she may lose renters or her properties may sit vacant for a long period of time.
Diana Brown said she used to live at a house that she owned on Brinkerhoff Avenue where she kept chickens. At the time, she didn’t realize it was illegal, though she did call codes and permits, asking if there would be an issue with her raising chickens in her fenced-in backyard, she said.
“They said, ‘Yeah, no problem,'” she said.
She raised a dozen chickens at her property.
“They were housed well, they were fed well, they were taken care of,” she said. “My neighbors on both sides were taken care of because they had fresh eggs every week and so did my family.”
She eventually was informed of Mansfield’s law banning chickens on less than three acres of property.
“I’m a law and order kind of gal, so immediately upon seeing that, I called a friend who lived in Bellville and I said, ‘Can you take my chickens?’ And away they went,” she said.
She said her neighbors had no problem with the chickens.
“I think as long as people follow the rules that there won’t be a problem and there’s a lot of benefit to it,” she said.
In other news, council approved a bill authorizing the Richland County Growth Corporation to enter into a one-year lease with Ashland Railway Inc. for 5.5 acres at 500 N. Main St., which is the site of the former Mansfield Foundry.
Ashland Railway intends to develop the property for a business engaged in the materials transloading and transportation business, according to the legislation.
Council also approved legislation allowing for the advertisement of bids and entering into a contract for the 2017 sanitary sewer inflow and infiltration reduction project, phase two.
City Engineer Bob Bianchi said based on the city’s findings, work needs to be done in the Woodland area, in the South Diamond Street area, and in the area that’s west of North Lake Park over to the Ontario city limit.
“Some of these flows are significant during rain events,” he said.
While displaying a graph, he said, “The flows go from about 60 gallons per minute up to 6,200 gallons per minute. That’s 100:1 flow ratio, which means we’ve got some significant inflow into the sanitary system that we have to find and remediate.”
Council also approved a bill that authorizes the safety service director to negotiate and enter into a professional services contract for multi-year asset management including the engineering, repair, sustainability, water quality management and maintenance of water storage tanks; namely, the Straub Road water tower and the underground tank for the Woodland Reservoir.
