Pluckin', Cluckin' and Buzzin' In The Backyard

It's not exactly The Swarm, but the idea of backyard beehives is enough to bug some neighbors in Corte Madera.

The Town Council put an end to months of back-and-forth arguments at the March 6 meeting by clearing the way for residents to keep bees and chickens in their backyards with a 4-1 vote to approve a new amendment to the existing town ordinance.

Fowl fanciers might want to start downloading the Pickin' Chicken app as they set up their coops. Seriously, nobody seems to really expect Corte Madera to turn into Green Acres, but the question remains: Do domestic bees and chickens belong in a residential setting?

"I think it's a great thing," said Don Phipps, who lives on Chapman Drive. "Our children are taught to use green resources in school. Chickens eat bugs, they produce incredible compost. … This is a great way to teach children to be green."

Pat Pagnillo argued that "barnyard animals don't belong in an urban setting."

Residents could previously keep bees and chickens only in a very few non-residential areas of town. The new amendment erases that barrier, although there are still restrictions.

    • For parcels less than a 1/2 acre in area, the maximum number of honeybee hives shall be two.
    • For parcels 1/2 acre in area and greater, the maximum number of honeybee hives shall be four.
    • For parcels less than 5,000 square feet in area, the maximum number of chickens shall be six.
    • For parcels 5,000 square feet to 1/2 acre in area, the maximum number of chickens shall be eight.
    • For parcels greater than 1/2 acre in area, the maximum number of chickens shall be 12.

Some proponents see this as a chance for people to reconnect to their food source. Their eggs might not come in a styrofoam 12-pack from the grocery store dairy aisle anymore. Now folks can walk out to the chicken coop in the morning and collect a couple fresh eggs for breakfast.

"Chickens and bees are a great step to making our town greener and more sustainable," resident Sherrie Vigneron said in support of the amendment.

Anyone who wants to start a backyard bee colony must first obtain a Conditional Use Permit and pay $100. Current hive owners will not be grandfathered in. The same goes for residents who want to keep chickens on a lot smaller than 5,000 square feet. Keeping chickens on lots greater than 5,000 square feet falls under the category of Permitted Use according to the amendment.

Councilwoman Alexandra Cock voted against the amendment as written, arguing that residents shouldn't need a permit to keep bees.

There are also several guidelines written into the amendment, including:
    • Beehives must be set back 20 feet from the sidewalk or public access areas; bees must be provided with a dedicated water source and a flyway.
    • Chickens should be kept inside their coops at night; roosters are not allowed.
    • Keepers of bees and chickens must follow "best practices."

There have been neighbors quietly keeping bees — and technically breaking the law — in Corte Madera for decades. The Town Council has rarely received any complaints about it.

The battle lines were drawn a little more than a year ago when Nicole and Yon Perullo got their first bee colony on Prince Royal Drive. Neighbor Diane Fafoutis has complained that the bees are attracted to her swimming pool and that her son is very allergic to bee stings.

"This entire year has been hell for my husband and myself and for our entire family," she said firmly before the Town Council. "Our neighbors' bees are attracted to our pool, our deck and our patio, so we can't use those areas. The neighbors' chickens are noisy. This town is digging a hole for itself with this amendment."

Fafoutis has also argued that the honeybees residents will be bringing in are not native to California and could in fact do more harm than good by spreading disease and pests to wild bee colonies.

The new amendment won't entirely put an end to the arguments between neighbors on either side of the fence. There is an appeals process that allows the Planning Commission to settle disputes over the backyard birds and bees. The Planning Commission's decisions in such matters will be backed up by the nuisance abatement ordinance.