The Planning Board rejected the request of a 375 Hillside Road resident who sought a special permit to raise chickens. (Photo by chief photographer Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – The Planning Board rejected the request of a Hillside Road resident who sought a special permit to raise chickens last night after neighbors raised concerns that the proposal would have an adverse impact on their neighborhood.
The Planning Board denied the special permit, which requires a super majority of five affirmative votes of the seven-member board. Only five Planning Board members were present last night, which would have required a unanimous vote of the members present. Four members voted to grant the petition and one member, Matt VanHeynigen, voted against issuing the special permit.
The petition, to keep six hens, was presented by Daniel J. Whalley of 375 Hillside Road, who said that he raised chickens as a youth.
“I raised chickens my whole life growing up in Southwick,” Whalley said. “I love fresh eggs. They taste better and are better for you than store-bought eggs.”
The chicken ordinance, which was sponsored by the late At-large Councilor Patti Andras, was adopted two years ago by the City Council and allows residents to keep up to six hens, while roosters are specifically prohibited, and sets conditions to protect the public health and prevent nuisance situations.
The ordinance allows the keeping of chickens as a by-right use if the resident has a five-acre lot and the coop is setback at least 150 feet from a property line. Residents of property zoned rural residential, but who do not meet the lot area or setback requirements, may petition the Planning Board to approve a special permit after conducting a public hearing to assess the merits of the petition.
Whalley’s lot is located on the northeast corner of the intersection of Hillside Road and City View Boulevard and across Hillside Road from the intersection of Sunnyside Road.
Neighborhood residents said they are concerned about noise, especially in the morning; odor; and that the chickens may attract wildlife, such as foxes and coyotes, which could pose a threat to children and pets. One resident also raised the issue that the ordinance allows chicken coops in the rear yard, but because of the angular configuration of Whalley’s property, the proposed location of the coop would be in the side yard, directly across the from several City View Boulevard residences.
Whalley said that the proposed location is the site furthest from neighboring residences and that there will be no odor with proper maintenance. Whalley said he is also a gardener and that he plans to use the chicken manure to fertilize his gardens.
“I don’t think smell will be that much of an issue,” Whalley said “I plan to clean (the coop) at least once a week. It’s a labor of love, and I will use the waste as compost.”
Whalley said that traffic passing through the intersection creates more noise that the chickens would.
“Hens cluck,” Whalley said. “There is far more noise from cars than you’d ever hear from chickens,”
The board approved its standard findings and conditions, but added a condition that would allow the board to revisit the special permit in two years if neighbors lodge complaints based on the concerns raised during the hearing.
Whalley will have to wait two years to present the same special permit petition because the special permit was denied, but could return sooner if he makes a “substantial” change to the application. The Planning Board would have to determine how a “substantial” change to the petition would be defined.
