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Planning Commission December 22, 2020 Page 3 and he has not received any complaints for under 1 -acre parcels keeping chickens. He stated he has not had any complaints on those parcels over 2.5 acres. Chair Larson -Vito opened the public hearing. There being no one to speak, Chair Larson -Vito closed the public hearing. Commissioner Jordan stated his views on the keeping of chickens in residential neighborhoods will remain consistent and he is opposed to this amendment. He felt anyone who wanted to keep chickens would not move into the city to keep them. He had similar concerns with lot creep and in the future, the request will be for lots under an acre, which concerns him a lot. He felt a large portion of Elk River is rural and there are mechanisms in place for larger rural lots, noting it was not about lot size but lot location. He stated he is not sure if this is the right amendment to move forward. Commissioner Johnson stated he is in favor of the proposed ordinance amendment. He noted the neighborhoods with homeowner associations or covenants that already prevent residents from keeping agricultural animals. He stated numerous neighborhoods are not going to be impacted by this amendment because of parameters in place to prevent this type of activity. Commissioner Thiel stated he would not support the amendment as written, agreeing with Commissioner Jordan's comments. He felt it was more appropriate for this type of farm animal on a lot larger than 2.5 acres to avoid interfering with neighbors. Commissioner Rydberg stated he agreed with Commissioner Jordan as well and felt the chickens will attract other animals to come into the neighborhood, especially in smaller areas. He stated he felt 1.5. to 2 acres is enough area but not 1 acre lots. He felt an urban setting was just too small. He expressed concerns with requests for other animals like rabbits and dogs will also come forward. Chair Larson -Vito agreed with the others and their comments. She asked if it was a miscommunication to not be included in the work session discussion with the City Council, noting when the original ordinance was drafted in 2017, the Planning Commission spent months reviewing this ordinance. She asked how many requests staff received for an ordinance amendment and if it was enough to offset the completed survey. Mr. Carlton stated staff received about a half dozen requests. He stated the public participation survey that was done in 2017 was extensive and noted most of the survey respondents were comfortable with one acre and above. He stated they could send out another survey to gauge the public's interest over the holidays if the Planning Commission so chose. Chair Larson -Vito stated about five properties in her neighborhood have chicken coops and this time of year, they are very visible and makes the properties appear HpINIaII Ir NA►TUR