A city hearing will allow the public to weigh in on backyard chickens and other urban agriculture.
Proposed changes to the cityβs zoning rules regarding urban agriculture have been in the works since 2013.
The cityβs Planning Commission will meet at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16, at City Hall, 255 W. Alameda. A public hearing is part of the meeting, and each person may speak to the commission for five minutes.
The commission held four study sessions on urban agriculture this year, and commissioners took a field trip to look at examples of community gardens and chicken coops. Last year, public hearings on the issue drew more than 100 residents.
If approved by the commission, the changes still would need to be approved by the Tucson City Council.
The changes are intended to remove barriers to growing or raising food at home and in community gardens, according to a staff report. The city received six to 10 complaints about chicken coops each year for the past few years, according to a staff report.
Some of the proposed changes:
- Set maximums for chickens at 24 chickens for a lot 16,000 square feet or less and 48 chickens for a lot 144,000 square feet or more, up from 24 fowl in the current rules. No male fowl are allowed.
- Keep a requirement that a backyard chicken coop must be placed at least 20 feet from a neighborβs house, depending on the size of the coop and the size of the lot.
- Require food and water that could attract wild animals to be secured.
The Community Gardens of Tucson and the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona support the changes.
