Backyard beehive approved

A request to keep a beehive behind a home on Nokimos Drive was approved this week by the city of Ukiah, which has now approved two residential beehives within the city limits.

At a hearing Monday, Craig Schlatter, who serves as both the Zoning Administrator and Community Development Director for the city of Ukiah, approved the minor use permit requested by Teresa Kiedrowski in order for a “single be hive to be placed in the rear yard of a residential property located at 504 Nokomis Drive.”

According to the staff report, the rear yard of the home is approximately a quarter acre, and “the entrance for this beehive would face towards the applicant's single-family residence and offer a direct flight path to an existing walnut tree and on-site gardens, but is subject to relocation within the rear-yard.”

Prior to approval, city staff did add four conditions of approval to the permit: That there be an on-site water source, that a sixfoot wall or hedge be maintained between the bee hive and the adjacent site, that the hive be located in the rear yard, and that it be faced away from any adjacent property lines or structures.”

The city had previously approved a bee hive on Live Oak Avenue in 2019, as staff noted that per Ukiah City Code, “one bee hive per lot is allowed in any district subject to use permit approval by the Zoning Administrator.”

As for public comments prior to the hearing, staff reported receiving a list of questions from another resident which included: “If swarming occurs, would the owner be responsible?” and city staff responded with: “Only a single hive is allowed under city code, and to date no known issues have arisen with the other permitted residential beehive within Ukiah. Additionally, staff

are unaware of any animal control or illegal hive complaints based on referral to the Ukiah Police Department and the Building Division as part of this request.”

However, if a problem does arise, staff note that “the most appropriate division to contact would be the city of Ukiah's Code Enforcement Division at 707-467-5786, as it works closely with the Planning Division, as well as Animal Control and Ukiah Police Department.”*