Council votes to allow urban beekeeping
Urban beekeeping is now allowed in Springfield.
City Council voted 8-1 Monday evening to approve a bill allowing two hives on city lots of at least 5,000 square feet, and one additional hive for every additional 5,000 square feet. Jerry Compton was the only council member in opposition.
A related bill, providing additional standards for those interested in having hives and allowing for them to be declared a nuisance under certain circumstances, subsequently passed unanimously.
Previously, a minimum of 20 acres was required to keep a hive in the city.
Explaining his vote in opposition, Compton noted that he grew up working on a farm — and that his wife's father and grandfather raised bees — but said that he still had "real concerns about the potential for harm with the density that we've created here." Compton had also been the sole council member to vote earlier this month against lowering the lot size requirement to 5,000 square feet from 10,000.
Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky then spoke in defense of the bills and the ecological benefits of honeybees, arguing that the expense and expertise associated with beekeeping will naturally keep the number of hives in the city in check.
"This isn't like chickens," Rushefsky said. "I think that we're not going to get a wholesale widespread appearance of beehives all over the city; I think it's just impractical."
Rushefsky stated that beekeeping-related concerns raised at public hearings prompted her to do her own research on the issue. While bees have the potential to become a nuisance, she said, so do common domestic pets if their owners "don't manage them properly."
"Major cities all over the United States with much higher densities than Springfield, Missouri, have permitted beekeeping, and are not experiencing the kinds of problems that people expressed here at the hearing," Rushefsky said.
Under the new ordinances, hives are limited to rear yards, at least 5 feet from all property lines. They must be located within a fenced enclosure at least 42 inches high — a requirement that is met if the yard is already fenced in. If a hive is within 20 feet of a property line, a 6-foot-high barrier along a section of the property line is be required. Individuals must have two years experience keeping a hive without incident, or complete a beekeeping training course.
Other business
Springfield City Council unanimously voted Monday night to approve a bill that authorizing the sale of general obligation sewer bonds
Council also decided to table a proposed ordinance that would allow bufferyard reductions for small lots. While city staff indicated that the bill was drafted with manufacturing zoning districts in mind, council members — led by Councilwoman Cindy Rushefsky — expressed an interest in further study on impacts the change might have if applied to other districts.