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ATTACHMENT 3 He questioned what a reasonable height for hives is and indicated that he is not qualified to say. Commissioner O'Connor stated that he has seen them as 18 inches. Commissioner Balch stated that he might say the total height cannot exceed six feet or maybe eight feet because he is thinking of a residential fence. Ms. Amos stated that something to keep in mind with respect to the discussion about measurements and height requirements is that the Buildingand Safety Division Code requires permits for a fence that is more than six feet in height, and that is why staff had limited the flyaway barrier to a maximum height of six feet so it does not trigger any additional permits in the City process. Commissioner Balch asked staff if, when they went out and looked at the hives, they had a quick estimate of what they thought from dirt to top, and if that was where the four-foot maximum height came from. Ms. Amos replied that it was four feet, from staff's visit and from the research, publications, and documentaries. She noted that hobbyists do not really have more than three or four stacked boxes,'and that multi-stacking is particular to the commercial portion of beekeeping. Mr. Weinstein added-ttiat staff.is linking,the maximum height.intthe ordinance to the need for what staff is calling'at flyaway barrier,which is a valid feature that should be included at properties that have beekeeping. He stated that staff wants the fence to be modest in scale, as opposed to'10,7foot or 15-foot tall fences, and to relate to the height of the beehive:-He added that it.is not practical to allow a really tall bee hive, and there should be a,reasonable relationship between the;beehive and the fence which will serve as the flyaway barrier, or the hedge. Commissioner Balch questioned where the height measurement would start for a hive that is placed\on.a slope and noted that the maximum height of four feet might result in unintentional impacts. He indicated that the maximum height might be six feet, in his opinion, as a neighbor, looking at eye level over the fence would not want to see a monstrosity of a stricture on the other side. THE PUBLIC HEARING'`WAS RE-OPENED. Acting Chair Ritter asked Mr. Browne if the picture of the three boxes in his backyard is about four feet from the ground to the top of the box. Mr. Browne said yes, adding that the hive is definitely lower than their fence line. Acting Chair Ritter inquired what the average height of the boxes is. DRAFT EXCERPT: PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING MINUTES, 1/28/2015 Page 11 of 14