Lawrence Journal-World opinion section

Sheep, goats and bees in the city?

Oh, my.

Many people may not realize it, but Lawrence already allows ducks and chickens (hens, no roosters) to be raised on residential properties of a certain size (one duck or hen per 500 square feet of yard, to be precise). Now, Lawrence city commissioners are being asked to consider a significant expansion in backyard crops and livestock inside the city limits.

It’s all in the name of promoting “urban agriculture” in Lawrence. The city’s staff has been working with the Douglas County Food Policy Council to draft new regulations for growing, harvesting and selling crops and keeping small farm animals in residential areas of the city. Residents with large enough yards could keep goats or sheep. Bees would be permitted on even small lots. The proposed regulations also allow gardeners to use hoop houses and greenhouses on their property, and residents would be permitted to sell unprocessed products like eggs, honey, produce and flowers from their homes.

The regulations under consideration are related to increased interest in the “local food” movement which encourages local food production. Raising food and keeping animals can be “empowering” for local residents, one official said, but what about their neighbors?

The regulations are written in a way that seeks to prevent urban agriculture from becoming a neighborhood nuisance, but residents have legitimate concerns about having traditional farm animals in their neighborhoods. A neighbor’s goats may not be more of a problem than a neighbor’s dogs, but the neighborhood beekeeper could pose a real problem for someone with a severe allergy to bee stings.

Urban agriculture on a small scale may seem acceptable, but it seems the kind of uses allowed in the new regulations could get out of hand. Certain neighborhoods may get a lot more interested in enforcing long-dormant development covenants that prohibit certain outdoor structures like greenhouses or chicken coops.

Growing food and tending animals can be a satisfying pursuit, but the expansion of urban agriculture also could have negative impacts on city neighborhoods. City officials need to make sure they’ve adequately considered those negative impacts before moving forward on the new regulations.