City resident Timothy Smart addresses Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals (September 4, 2024)
The Jamestown Zoning Board of Appeals has denied a variance request for a city resident to have chickens at his house.
Timothy and Kerri Smart of 209 Harding Avenue requested the use variance to house chickens in an existing five foot by seven foot chicken coop.
Timothy Smart informed the board that they had previously had chickens on the property for two years before receiving a notice of violation from the City. Under the City of Jamestown Code, the “housing of barn animals, including but not limited to cows, horses, pigs, goats, sheep, chickens, ostriches and other similar livestock” is not allowed in the city limits.
Smart said his motivation for having chickens is food security.
A handful of neighbors of the Smarts spoke in support of the family having chickens, stating that the chickens hadn’t been a nuisance before.
Smart said he had spoken with former City Council member Marie Carrubba and then with other council members about allowing people to have chickens in the city, but no action had been taken.
Zoning Board members recommended Smart continue to talk to Council members, given that City Council is the body that would ultimately approve any changes to the Zoning Code. They also suggested he attend meetings about updates to the Zoning Code and Comprehensive Plan.
The first public information meeting on those updates is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., Tuesday, September 10 at Wicked Warren’s in downtown Jamestown.
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