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Council approves ‘backyard chicken’ ordinance in first of two readings

Posted at 10:57 pm May 9, 2016
By John Huotari 2 Comments

Mark-Watson-and-Kayla-Wyatt-April-19-2016

Pictured above during an Oak Ridge City Council work session on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, are Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, left, and Kayla Wyatt, an advocate for allowing a small number of hens at Oak Ridge homes. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

In the first of two monthly readings, the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday approved an ordinance that would allow residents to keep up to six female chickens, or hens, at homes in the city, possibly starting this year. No roosters would be allowed, and henhouses would not be allowed in front yards.

Council approved an ordinance that was adopted by Knoxville in 2010 and amended for potential use in Oak Ridge.

The Monday vote was 5-2 in favor of the “backyard chicken” ordinance. Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch and City Council member Rick Chinn cast the two “no” votes.

Chinn had concerns about lot size, among other things, and Gooch had concerns about the city’s image and potential disputes during implementation and enforcement.

Supporters of the current citizen-led initiative, first started with the help of Jennifer Alexander several years ago and picked up by Kayla Wyatt more recently, argued in favor of the hens for reasons of sustainability, teaching children about where food comes from, and being able to produce fresh eggs, among other reasons. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: backyard chickens, chickens, hens, Jennifer Alexander, Kayla Wyatt, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge City Council, ordinance, Rick Chinn, Warren Gooch

Council will consider ordinance to allow up to six hens at Oak Ridge homes

Posted at 8:55 pm May 2, 2016
By John Huotari 1 Comment

Mark-Watson-and-Kayla-Wyatt-April-19-2016

Pictured above during an Oak Ridge City Council work session on Tuesday, April 19, 2016, are Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, left, and Kayla Wyatt, an advocate for allowing a small number of hens at Oak Ridge homes. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The Oak Ridge City Council on Monday will consider an ordinance that would allow residents to keep up to six female chickens, or hens, at homes in the city, possibly starting this year. No roosters would be allowed, and henhouses would not be allowed in front yards.

Council will consider an ordinance that was adopted by Knoxville in 2010 and amended for potential use in Oak Ridge.

Under the proposed ordinance, which has been requested by City Council members, the Oak Ridge Police Department Division of Animal Control would have authority to permit residents to keep hens. The Oak Ridge Community Development Department would be responsible for permitting and inspecting residential henhouses and fencing for the hens, often referred to as “backyard chickens.”

Fenced enclosures and henhouses for the chickens would have to be properly ventilated, clean, dry, and odor-free. The enclosures and henhouses would have to kept in a neat and sanitary condition and not disturb neighbors due to noise, odor, or other adverse impact. They would have to provide adequate ventilation, sun, and shade, and be built to resist access by rodents, wild birds, and predators, including dogs and cats. The access doors to henhouses would have to be capable of being shut and locked at night.

If adopted, the ordinance would require $25 annual permits for domestic hens, plus a one-time $50 building permit fee for the required henhouse, according to a memo from Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson to City Council members. Permits would expire on December 31 each year, although permits issued in 2016 would extend through December 31, 2017. Only one permit would be allowed per property.

Permits could be suspended or revoked by Animal Control when there is a risk to public health or safety or failure to comply with applicable ordinances or law. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Front Page News, Government, Meetings and Events, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: animal control, backyard chickens, chickens, hens, Mark Watson, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Community Development Department, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, Oak Ridge Police Department, ordinance

Council approves expansion of residential rental inspection district

Posted at 5:22 pm August 13, 2013
By John Huotari 4 Comments

Rental Property in Manhattan District Overlay

Rental properties in the Manhattan District Overlay could be registered and regularly inspected under a proposal unanimously approved in the first of two readings by the Oak Ridge City Council on Monday. The rental properties are pictured in red above. (Image courtesy of Oak Ridge city staff)

The ordinance was already on the books, and on Monday, city officials agreed to expand the area where inspections of rental homes are allowed to include most of the center of the city.

The expanded residential inspection district, which had originally applied to the Highland View Redevelopment Area, could include about 1,700 rental units.

The Oak Ridge City Council unanimously endorsed the expansion during a Monday night meeting. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: Burnham Woods, Highland View, Highland View Redevelopment Area, inspections, Manhattan District Overlay, Mark Watson, MDO, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Fire Department, ordinance, rental homes, rental inspection, rental units, residential rental inspection district, Scarboro, Woodland

On first vote, Council prohibits animated videos, scrolling messages on electronic signs

Posted at 1:33 am August 13, 2013
By John Huotari 11 Comments

Oak Ridge High School Electronic Sign

The electronic sign at Oak Ridge High School is pictured above. (Photos courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The public debate gained notoriety in December with a dispute over an electronic sign featuring an animated Santa. After months of meetings and hours of discussions, it could be close to being resolved, although the community appears to remain divided.

On Monday night, the Oak Ridge City Council voted 4-3 to approve, in the first of two monthly votes, ordinance changes that would, among other things, prohibit videos or continuously scrolling messages on electronic signs, revisions that would presumably prevent an animated Santa.

The revised ordinance would require messages on the increasingly popular signs to be static and remain displayed for five seconds. The changes, which still have to be approved on second and final reading in September, would also govern signs used for sporting events, set maximum brightness levels, and require the displays to automatically dim through photo cell technology. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: animated videos, Anne Garcia Garland, brightness, Charlie Hensley, Chuck Hope, David Mosby, electronic sign, Jane Miller, Kathryn Baldwin, Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge Community Development, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, ordinance, Santa, scrolling messages, Terry Domm, Tom Beehan, Trina Baughn

Planning Commission to discuss electronic signs this evening

Posted at 10:31 am March 14, 2013
By John Huotari Leave a Comment

Oak Ridge officials will continue to discuss the the city’s ordinance on electronic signs during a work session this evening.

City officials have been trying to write new regulations for the signs, considering how to govern brightness, display times, and transitions between messages.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge, Top Stories Tagged With: businesses, community, electronic signs, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, ordinance, residents, sign regulations

After business backlash, electronic sign ordinance changes pulled from agenda

Posted at 5:01 pm December 14, 2012
By John Huotari 15 Comments

Rivers Total Car Care Electronic Sign

Toney Stevens, owner of Rivers Total Car Care in Oak Ridge, brought attention to a Dec. 6 letter the city sent to 18 owners of electronic signs, telling them the city continues to receive complaints about the signs and asking them to fix violations within 10 days.

After a backlash from business owners, a proposal to change the city’s electronic sign ordinance has been removed from next week’s agenda for the Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission.

It’s not clear when the revisions, which would govern message display times and brightness, could be considered by the city.

Business owners with electronic signs had objected to the mid-December meeting date, the short amount of time they had to prepare, and a letter they recently received that gave them 10 days to fix any violations of the city’s sign ordinance. The letter, sent to 18 businesses with electronic signs, said signs that have messages that are animated, moving, or flashing are generally prohibited in Oak Ridge.

The proposed revisions would have required that electronic sign messages be static and shown for at least 10 seconds. Animations and movements between messages would not have been allowed and neither would animated video or continuous message scrolling.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Business, Government, Top Stories Tagged With: electronic signs, Oak Ridge Municipal Planning Commission, ordinance

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Classifieds

Public Notice: NNSA announces no significant impact of Y-12 Development Organization operations at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE FINAL ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

ADFAC seeks contractors for five homes

Aid to Distressed Families of Appalachian Counties (ADFAC) is a non-profit community based agency, … [Read More...]

Public notice: Draft environmental assessment for Y-12 Development Organization at Horizon Center

AVAILABILITY OF THE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT FOR THE OFFSITE HOUSING OF THE Y-12 DEVELOPMENT … [Read More...]

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