TITLE
WITHDRAWN
Recommendation to declare ordinance amending the Long Beach Municipal Code by amending Section 6.16.010, Chapter 6.20, and Section 6.24.010, all relating to livestock and other animals, read and adopted as read. (Citywide)
DISCUSSION
The current Long Beach Municipal Code (Municipal Code) allows for residents to own and keep chickens, goats, and bees on their property with certain restrictions. For example, chickens must be kept at a minimum of 50 feet away from dwellings; goats are not allowed south of Anaheim Street and must be kept 100 feet away from dwellings; and beehives must be kept ten feet above the ground and 100 feet away from dwellings. There are a number of households in the City of Long Beach (City) interested in urban agriculture, and raising and producing their own food, such as eggs, honey, and goat’s milk. Several residents approached the City Council’s Environmental Committee (Committee) to ask for a change to the current laws to make it less restrictive and easier for people to own chickens, goats, and bees.
On March 13, 2012, the Committee directed the Office of Sustainability staff to develop proposed changes to the City’s existing rules (contained in Title 6 of the Municipal Code) governing the keeping of chickens, goats, and bees, and to seek public input on the proposals. The Office of Sustainability drafted a set of general proposals based on extensive research on the policies of other large cities in California and in other states. Community meetings were held on Monday, June 11, 2012, at the Long Beach Community Action Partnership, 3012 Long Beach Boulevard; and on Thursday, June 14, 2012, at the Whaley Park Community Center, 5620 East Atherton Street. A total of 70 residents attended the two community meetings. At these meetings, a one-page handout detailing Long Beach’s current rules and proposed changes was distributed and discussed.
The proposed changes, which are intended to ease current restrictions, ma...
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