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PEEKSKILL, N.Y. The city of Peekskill may soon be going to the birds chickens, to be exact.
The Peekskill Common Council is considering an amendment to city code that would allow city residents to keep chicken coops on single family properties after a request was made by a city resident.
Residents would be allowed to keep four hens for egg harvesting only. Roosters, chicks and other types of fowl would be strictly forbidden.
Residents would have to obtain a permit from a city building inspector officer to build such a coop, which must be built to certain specifications in order to keep out vermin such as mice and rats.
The coops would only be able to be built on lots of a certain size and only in the backyard of a home. Director of Planning Anthony Ruggiero said that while other municipalities call for a minimum of 10,000 square feet, that might not work in Peekskill.
"That has to be up for discussion," Ruggiero said. "I don't think we have a lot residential parcels of that size."
The coops would be inspected like any other residential structure by building inspectors.
Ruggiero said he also wanted to require a resident who wants to build a chicken coop to get permission from their neighbors first.
Council members need to decide how to test the new law. One possibility that was suggested would be to create a pilot program to allow only a certain amount of residents to build the coops. Council member Marybeth McGowen said such a program would allow the city and its residents to see if the coops are a good fit for Peekskill.
"I understand the opposition, you don't want a slaughterhouse or have 30 chickens in their yard," McGowen said. "This isn't 1865 where we have farmland and huge amounts of property. But there is also a reason to try this. Fresh eggs are fresh eggs so this would allow us to have the best of both words."
The city will further discuss allowing chickens coops at a work session next month.
Westchester communities like New Rochelle recently considered passing legislation that would allow residents to raise chickens in their homes. The New Rochelle Council ultimately voted against an amendment that would have allowed households to hold no more than six birds. However, in Ossining, village trustees are in the process of considering legislation to allow residents to keep chickens and bees on their properties.
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