What came first, the chicken or the Town of Petawawa?
Probably the chicken, but the Town gets the final say.
The Town of Petawawa has been considering the idea of backyard chickens following a presentation made by community members back in August.
The pair advocated for around 6 chickens per household and highlighted other cities such as Toronto and Kingston who have implemented similar pilot projects with success.
Three recommendations were presented to council on Monday night (October 26th).
The first option included no change and leaving everything as is.
The second option was to look at reducing the size of lots required for outdoor chickens from the current 5 hectares (12.35 acres) of property needed. This would allow residential lots in the rural unserviced areas of the town to have chickens, but still require the use as farm related.
The third option was to seek further public input before making a decision.
In a 4-3 vote council voted in favour of moving forward with option two.
Councillors Tom Mohns, Garry Serviss, Murray Rutz and Mayor Bob Sweet voted for option two.
Councillors Matthew McLean, Theresa Sabourin and James Carmody voted for option three.
Option 1: No Change
The Town Zoning By-law and Animal Control By-law would remain the same and chickens would only be permitted within Rural (RU) zones and continue to be considered a farm use requiring a minimum lot size of 5 ha (12.35 acres).
Option 2: Amend the Zoning By-law and Animal Control By-law
Recognize that the 5 ha (12.35 acre) minimum lot size for the keeping and raising of chickens is more than what may be required and consider reducing the lot size to open up a number of additional residential lots within the rural unserviced area of Town but continue to include the use as farm related.
Option 3: Public Consultation
In order to gauge the interest in the keeping of backyard hens Council authorizes staff to create a public consultation process to determine where the support for this use exists within the Town’s residential zones. Consultation is required prior to the adoption of an Official Plan Amendment, Zoning By-law Amendment and amendments to the Animal
Control By-law.
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