West Bloomfield rules on chickens DOA at meeting

The West Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees voted Monday, Sept. 12 to approve the township Planning Commission’s recommendation not to adopt an amendment to a township zoning ordinance that would have allowed residents to house chickens in residentially-zoned areas.

Township Senior Planner Sara Roediger has previously said that the commission felt that housing chickens would not fit with the township’s character and could lead to lower property values and issues such as noise or odors.

She also said that the ultimate decision rested with the township board on whether to make the housing of chickens legal in residential areas.

But the board concurred with the Planning Commission, unanimously voting in support of planning commissioners’ recommendation.

The township’s existing ordinance restricts the housing or keeping of animals to farms, with the exception of domestic pets such as dogs and cats, along with housing animals in private stables.

Under the proposed amendment, the housing or keeping of chickens would have been permitted under certain conditions.

Roediger previously said that a resident would only be able to keep chickens if they were exempt from agricultural regulations.