Board of Aldermen 12-11-2018 Page 35
infrastructure set up so that people can pick up their dog poop and move it along and not even batting
an eye. A lot of points have been made, | think we have discussed this at great length in committee
and gone over many, many areas of concern. | think it is an Urban Chicken Ordinance, | think it is
accomplishing its purpose, we should test it out and see how it goes.
Alderwoman Kelly
Thank you. | Just wanted to make a couple of points. In terms of the 20 foot setback, | had a
conversation with Director Marchant and we talked about we can’t know for sure based on what
someone’s lot looks like, but this will most likely have the effect of the quarter acre recommendation
that was talked about because you are going to have to have enough space in your side or rear lot, so
there’s that.
The other thing | wanted to point everyone’s attention to, | sent you guys the check list that her
department put together that would actually be given to people who go ahead and want to get chickens
and it goes through in great length, someone already put the time into this, exactly how you need to
care, the manure, there’s three | think bullet points on manure and how you need to take care of it. So
that would be available as people come and also the gentleman from Nashua Farm said that he would
happily put those out as well.
| like to think big picture so | just wanted to circle back that to the idea that people have said a lot
tonight that’s about having a City that you want to be proud to live in. And | don’t think it is just one
thing that makes it happen, it might be VeoRide bikes, it might be Community Gardens, and maybe in
this case it might be chickens. So | think, for me, that means a City that is willing to grow, not only in
their numbers but in their ideas and | think this is an idea that will help us grow.
Alderman Tencza
Thank you, so I’ve been at every public hearing on this because of my position on the Planning Board
and Planning & Economic Development. What I’ve proposed is not that we don’t allow the City to grow,
but that we allow it to grow with a more measured approach. The half-acre proposal that | made at the
Planning & Economic Development Committee; what that would allow is it would allow 1,800 homes,
residences, lots to allow to have chickens and that is in addition to all the folks who are living in the R30
and R40 zones.
| am going to support the bill as it is amended right now, but | think we have to be careful and to echo
what Alderman Jette was saying, you know, | respect the fact that Director Marchant will say that she
can, her office can handle complaints and | do not believe that complaints would be rampant throughout
the City if this ordinance passes. However, every call that they go to, every call the Police get because
they have to go and try to enforce this bill or animal control, or zoning is a call that they are not
checking into for safe living conditions for somebody else or doing something that is more fundamental
to someone’s health and well-being.
My proposal in amending and | think Alderwoman Kelly and | may have a disagreement on this, mirrors
what they do in Manchester; it is a half-acre lot. You have to have at least a half-acre in order to have 6
chickens with all the same regulations as proposed in this bill. | am willing, when the time comes, to
make that motion again if the Board is willing to entertain that.
Alderman Harriott-Gathright
| did spend a little time today with Director Marchant because | was trying to understand the different
areas that were on a map a while ago. Most of the areas that chickens were involved in were like acre
lots basically across Nashua, the outskirts of Nashua like going toward Massachusetts and things of
that nature.
