09 - Laserfiche WebLink

flyway barrier, water source). Staff has researched the training and equipment costs associated with monitoring beekeeping operations and believes that they can be accommodated within the Current Planning budget. Because there is a relatively high barrier to entry associated with a new beekeeping operation (acquiring bee hives, beekeeping equipment, and bees may cost upwards of $1,000), the City does not expect a large number of beekeeping applications. CALIFORNIA FOOD AND AGRICULTURE REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS The State requires that every person that is the owner or is in possession of an apiary which is located within the State to register the number of colonies in each apiary which is owned by the person and the location of each apiary (Food and Agricultural Code %29040-29056). The registration of an apiary is required to be filed with the commissioner of the county in which the apiary is located; however, registration can be waived for any beekeeper, apiary owner, apiary operator, or person, who is a hobbyist not in the business of beekeeping and who possess nine or fewer colonies. City staff discussed the proposed PMC amendment with staff from the Alameda County Community Development Agriculture/Weights & Measures Division, the division that oversees registration for apiaries, and received confirmation that registration would not be required based on the parameters of the proposed PMC amendment for beekeeping (i.e., 10 hives on A zoned land and 2 hives for the other proposed districts/areas). PUBLIC NOTICE Notice of this application has been published in The Valley Times and was noted in the Pleasanton Weekly as an upcoming agenda item for the January 28, 2015, Planning Commission meeting. At the time this report was prepared, staff had not received comments pertaining to these amendments. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT The proposed amendments are exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), per regulation 15061(b)(3). Therefore, no environmental documentation accompanies this report. CONCLUSION Staffs research indicates that beekeeping is a use that is compatible with other suburban uses, as domestic bees are typically docile and nonaggressive, and become defensive only when their hives are directly threatened. With the exception of the incident in the City of Fremont where the beekeeper stopped maintaining a hive, other cities contacted by staff have not had any issues with beekeeping. In addition, staff has not identified significant safety or other concerns about domestic beekeeping in reviewing literature on the subject. The proposed changes to the Pleasanton Municipal Code are intended to establish performance standards, noted above, for beekeeping that will ensure that such operators meet current City ordinances, standards, and/or County requirements. Staff believes that the proposed Code amendments will have minimal adverse impact on residents and will enhance the environmental health of the City. P14-1276, Beekeeping Planning Commission Page 12 of 13