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Project Narrative <br /> <br />Detailed description/scope of project <br />What is being proposed? <br />I would like to keep up to 8 hives of bees on my property to use as pollinators for recently planted fruit <br />trees and maybe get a little honey as a bonus, nothing commercial. I live at 21268 York St NW (Parcel <br />ID: 75-505-0144) on 4.21 acres zoned R-1a. I would like approval for 8 hives, although my intent is to run <br />two sets of hives following that University of MN Bee lab’s strategy of splitting and re-queening each <br />spring. I would start with 2 hives in population building mode for the first season. After the first winter, I <br />would split both (now 4 hives total) and have the two old queens (with high populations) be honey <br />producing hives and the two new splits that were re-queened be building up. Over the next winter the <br />old hives would be left to die off and the new splits become the two old hives. This cycle then continues <br />year after year. <br />The request for 8 hives allows flexibility if a population grows too fast or if a colony starts becoming <br />aggressive. I can split and re-queen, and then allow the original colony to die off over winter to start in <br />spring with two strong hives to split. <br /> <br />How is the request consistent with City of Elk River Comprehensive plan? <br />Based on my understanding of the Comprehensive Plan plus borrowing some words from previous <br />Planning Commission submissions, Elk River strives to be a leader in sustainability practices including <br />native plantings, greenspace and natural resources manamgement. Bees area key part of agricultural <br />products and pollination of fruits, vegetables, flowers and plans. Also Beekeeping is included in the <br />Green Step Cities Best Practices plan for city sustainability. As a bonus, bees can contribute to <br />sustainable food choices through honey production. <br />Honey bees are currently classified as agricultural animals, but given their size and behavior some of the <br />city codes do not apply. Below is a listing of applicable codes and my interpretation of how they apply to <br />bees. <br />Section 30-1: Bees are classified as agricultural animals. <br />Section 30-803.e.1: Agricultural animals in R-1a on parcels less than 5 acres require a conditional use <br />permit. <br />There was recently some effort to put city code changes in place for beekeeping, but it has been tabled <br />with one of the main concerns being beekeeping on smaller lot sizes. Since my parcel is close to the 5 <br />acres threshold, is located in a more rural setting, and I am only requesting a small number of hives I <br />believe my request falls into the spirit of the regulations. <br />Section 30-803.e.2: Number of animal units allowed is based on per acre of fenced pasture land.