Raising chickens permitted in many O'Hara neighborhoods

Fresh egg lovers and small poultry farm dreamers in O’Hara can now rejoice.

But those who think chickens shouldn’t be allowed to be kept in a residential neighborhood aren’t so happy.

Township council voted 6-0 at its Tuesday, June 13 meeting to approve a zoning ordinance amendment that allows “domestic chicken keeping” in residential and certain commercial districts.

Councilman Richard Hughes was absent.

Specific districts outlined in the regulations where chickens would be permitted are R-1, R-2, R-3, R-4 — all residential designations — and CD-1 and CD-2, which are commercial districts.

Regulations include limiting coops to backyards and having only one coop per property.

Three chickens are permitted for the first 10,000 square feet of a lot. Each additional chicken would require an extra 2,000 square feet of property.

Mobile chicken coops, described as coops with wheels, can have a maximum of four chickens.

Stationary coops can’t be taller than 8 feet and can’t be larger than 100 square feet.

No roosters are permitted. Selling chickens, butchered meat and eggs also are prohibited.

Council President Robert John Smith said the township spent more than six months gathering input from those in favor and opposed to having chickens and believes the amendment is a solid compromise.

“There’s pros and cons just like anything we deal with in the township,” Smith said. “You’re never going to make everybody happy. You do what you think is right, and that’s what we did. We reviewed other municipalities’ ordinances, and it’s in keeping (with those regulations). We’re trying to make a compromise.”

The public had an opportunity at the council meeting to speak their piece prior to vote.

Resident Sandra Skowron questioned why the ordinance did not specifically prohibit those with chickens from dropping animal waste on neighboring or other private properties.

Township officials said such actions were covered in a nuisance ordinance.

They also said changing the ordinance language at this point, even for a few words, would require it to be sent back town to the township planning commission and Allegheny County for review, which would have taken an additional three months.

Skowron asked for clarification on a section of the ordinance that said no materials or wastes shall be “transported off the lot by natural causes or forces.”

Township officials said that section makes coop caretakers responsible for not only wastes but water runoff carrying any waste.

Those who want chickens would also have to pay a $50 permit fee.

The regulations were posted on the township’s website at ohara.pa.us.

Resident Gina Carr, who has pushed for the township to allow chickens for years, gave council a round of applause after its vote.

“I’m very proud of the community and the council members for what they did tonight,” Carr said. “I think everyone should have chickens.”

Township Manager Julie Jakubec does not anticipate a large influx of people seeking to install permanent chicken coops.

She said the most likely scenario would be for people to lease mobile coops, or “rent-a-chicken,” as she called it.

Moment of silence

Council had moment of silence for the late James “Jim” Zaenger.

Zaenger died June 11. He was 86.

The retired civil engineer served on council for 18 nonconsecutive years starting in 1978.

He was elected council vice president in 1992 and served three consecutive terms in that post.

Councilman George Stewart said he was Zaenger’s neighbor for many years, and will remember him as a very talkative man who always thought about the township’s future.

“Almost every conversation we would have eventually would get around to him wanting to talk about something about O’Hara Township,” Stewart said. “How it could be improved, the engineering side (and) the people side. Even after he stopped being on council, he never gave up caring about the township, the residents, etc. I always thought that was pretty unique.”