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Planning Commission Page 3 <br /> September 24,2019 <br /> • change"animal units" to"rabbits" as anyone that owns the property in the future <br /> could own numerous animal units which could include dogs or cats. <br /> Commissioner Larson-Vito asked for clarification why rabbits are considered <br /> agricultural animals if the applicant's rabbits are being shown and raised for having <br /> their wool harvested. • <br /> Mr. Leeseberg stated it was a determination made by city staff that rabbits are <br /> considered domestic animals as outlined in the city code. <br /> Commissioner Rydberg asked about previous uses being grandfathered in and if <br /> there were CUPs issued. <br /> Mr. Leeseberg stated staff is not aware of any CUPs issued for this property and <br /> nothing was "grandfathered in." He stated the animal unit is a fairly new addition to <br /> city code. <br /> Chair Johnson asked if there should be a condition of no breeding or no increase of <br /> additional rabbit units. He also asked if there were setbacks in place for the cages to <br /> be further away from property lines. <br /> Mr. Leeseberg stated the same guidelines as dogs and cats would be enforced with <br /> this CUP, explaining animals aren't counted as an animal unit until 6 months of age <br /> • and at that time, they would need to be removed. He stated a condition could be <br /> added of no breeding. He indicated there are no setbacks for cages and has been <br /> considering since the staff report was written of a 5 or 10 foot setback for the cage <br /> location. <br /> Chair Johnson opened the public hearing. <br /> Allen Whiteoak, 627 Gates Ave. NW, stated he lives next to the applicant and <br /> indicated the easiest way for him to deal with the applicant's rabbits was to build an <br /> 8'panel fence. He stated the cages are located on the property line and suggested <br /> they be moved from the side of the applicant's property to the back yard. He <br /> explained the history of problems with animal smell and waste not being disposed of <br /> in a timely manner and stated the waste sometimes sits in black plastic bags or a <br /> wheelbarrow at the end of the applicant's driveway for weeks at a time. He also <br /> discussed the overall condition of the property itself. He was opposed to approval of <br /> the conditional use permit. <br /> Dennis Heath, 520 7`'' Street, stated his wife, Carol, has called the city and the <br /> mayor numerous times over the years to ask the city to get the property cleaned up. <br /> He asked about the rules regarding how many rabbits one can keep. He submitted <br /> photos of the property showing long grass and weeds,garbage,and an unlicensed <br /> truck located in the driveway,a compost pile located near the Whiteoak property <br /> • line,and rabbit waste. He stated the rabbit waste rots and stinks because it isn't <br /> cleaned up in a timely manner and doesn't feel the applicant should be allowed to <br /> have even one rabbit. <br /> pIvtIEI II <br /> !NATURE <br />