People seeking to raise chickens and take on beekeeping within Buena Park city limits can now do so.
Buena Park City Council members voted unanimously last week to allow for the activities, which is commonly referred to as homesteading.
“There have been a number of people who have been requesting this from me for quite some period of time,” said Mayor Susan Sonne during the Aug. 13 council meeting. “I’m happy to vote for this – to allow those residents who wish to take more responsibility for the creation of the food their family gets.”
Under the new policy, Buena Park residents living in single-family zones are able to house a maximum of six hens in a coop, pen or fence, as well as keep up to four bee hives. Parcels that share a property line with school, childcare facility or park are barred from beekeeping.
It’s an effort by council members to create more environmentally friendly policies after directing city staff to work with the city’s Climate Action Commission toward loosening regulations on chicken coops and beekeeping.
[Read: Buena Park Moves to Allow Beehives and Chicken Coops, Stalls on A New Dog Park]
Cultivating land for food production or owning small livestock – also referred to as urban homesteading – allows residents to grow fruits, vegetables and herbs in their backyards, including beekeeping for honey.
“This is a tremendous step forward for the City of Buena Park,” said Councilman Connor Traut during the regular meeting. “I look forward to further actions from the Climate Action Commission coming to [City] Council.”
“These activities offer a range of environmental, educational, and even economic benefits from supporting local ecosystems and pollinator populations to providing fresh, sustainable food sources right in our backyards,” said Brandon Schooner, a member of the city’s Climate Action Commission.
Buena Park joins a host of cities that let residents rear chickens, like Cypress, Laguna Beach, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Santa Ana, Westminster – among a few others.
As for beekeeping, the City of Orange, Seal Beach, San Clemente and Stanton also allow the practice as written in their municipal codes.
Schooner said Long Beach Beekeepers, a nonprofit organization that educates on beekeeping practices, helped officials formulate the new homesteading policy.
The organization helped advocate for an ordinance allowing beekeeping in the city of Long Beach back in 2015, in which it ultimately passed.
Matt Foulkes, director of community and economic development in Buena Park, said at a June 24 planning commission meeting that the city consulted with Long Beach officials to determine city guidelines best suited for residents.
He added that most concerns from residents opposed to allowing chicken coops and beehives are toward noise, an issue he does not foresee causing a problem if an ordinance was passed.
Hugo Rios is a Voice of OC reporting fellow. Contact him at hugo.toni.rios@gmail.com or on Twitter @hugoriosss
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