Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Two requests for the allowance of farm animals in residential districts were denied by the Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals during a meeting on Tuesday.
Erica Cotner requested an exception for the purpose of allowing chickens to remain at her residence at 12545 N. Syracuse-Webster Road, Syracuse. The home is in a residential district, with Cotner requesting she be allowed to keep the chickens due to medical issues with her diet.
"Up until the complaint came through, I wasn't aware that we were considered residential because our house is in-county," said Cotner. "We're just following suit with what the previous owners ... when we bought the property in 2019, the coop was already existing. They already had chickens and ducks on the property. And we've just continued that for the last five years."
Plan Commission Director Matt Sandy said a complainant reported a loose chicken in the roadway that came from the property. Cotner told the board new locks have been placed on the coop to prevent birds from escaping.
Clayton Rohr, Cotner's husband, said the photo of the loose chicken was taken by the complainant in May, but wasn't even submitted to the county until August.
"That chicken is now dead," said Rohr.
Cotner and Rohr told the board they currently own six chickens and that the previous owners had egg-producing poultry for about 11 or 12 years.
One letter in support was submitted to the board, and a neighbor also said she was in support of Cotner keeping the chickens.
The board denied allowing Cotner to keep the chickens in a residential area, giving Cotner 30 days to get in compliance with county ordinances.
In other business, Charles Saunders requested an exception to allow farm animals, namely miniature cows, in a residential district at 1798 S. Packerton Road, Warsaw.
Saunders told the board there's people interested in purchasing the property in question, but that a purchase probably would not take place until 2028.
"It's not that the cows are going to be there by next weekend," said Saunders. "If I live two more years, it'll be two more years. But we need to plan ahead."
Saunders noted there is land to the east of the property that is currently zoned agricultural, and that the cows could be placed there if the board denied his request for the area where he'd like the cows to be placed instead.
Sandy said typically these petitions come before the board when there's already a pending sale.
"That's the part that's a little concerning is that we could end up with a different set of owners once approval comes in," said Sandy.
Four letters in opposition of the request were submitted, and two residents spoke at the meeting against Saunders' petition.
The residents spoke about concerns regarding the amount of manure, as well as sounds and the possibility of the cows getting loose.
The BZA board denied Saunders' request.
Kosciusko BZA's next meeting is at 9 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 12, due to Veterans Day.
