James City County is looking to citizens for input on backyard chicken keeping in residential areas.
Under direction from the Board of Supervisors, the Planning Division is asking citizens to send in comments, fill out a survey or attend an upcoming meeting to provide some direction on changing the county’s ordinance to allow chicken keeping.
The board voted at its Dec. 10 meeting to send chicken keeping back to the Planning Commission Policy Committee for discussion. In late July, three of five supervisors were against changing a policy to allow backyard chicken keeping, even though no formal vote was taken. At the time, Supervisors John McGlennon (Roberts), Andy Bradshaw (Powhatan) and Jim Icenhour (Jamestown) were against the policy change.
Bradshaw is no longer on the board and Icenhour will not be on the board after the end of this year.
In the previous discussion process about backyard chicken keeping, the county held a meeting with chicken keepers and people interested in chicken keeping. No policy change was made after the meeting. This time around the process is being run differently, starting at the Policy Committee level before working its way to the Board of Supervisors.
This new process could give chicken keeping three chances at a vote for change. First, the Policy Committee would take a vote to make a recommendation to the Planning Commission. From there, the Planning Commission would vote to make a recommendation to the Board of Supervisors, which will have the ultimate say.
Citizens who want to participate can:
- Fill out an online survey by Jan. 13
- Send written comments to: James City County Planning Division, 101-A Mounts Bay Rd., Williamsburg, VA 23185
- Attend the Policy Committee meeting at 3 p.m. Jan. 16 in Building D at 101 Mounts Bay Rd.
For more information, call 757-253-6867.
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