Out in Chesapeake they are working on the same thing we are here in Virginia Beach. That is legalizing backyard hens! They have a great idea! They pick a city council member of the week to email and call. They also post any and all feedback from that member. That is what we are going to do!
Mayor Sessoms is first!
Our mayor… Will Sessoms is first. He is officially our city council member of the week. Please send him an email letting him know how you feel about backyard chickens. Tell him why you PERSONALLY think they should be allowed. EVEN if you don’t want to have them but think it is a great idea to allow them. Send him an email and call him. Here is his information…
wsessoms@vbgov.com is his email and
Mayor William D. Sessoms-757-385-4581.
Thank you for your support. Please post all feedback here to let us know any and all feedback from him. Thank you!!
Sir;
With all due respect, banning backyard chickens is neither environmentally nor socially supportable. If we are to be more free, more connected to our communities, and to one another, chicken keeping will only help. No, they do not stink, do not cause disease, and do not increase municipal costs. If anything, chickens decrease the amount of waste in landfills by eating kitchen scraps and yard waste, decrease chemical runoff by eating insects and weeds that might otherwise be fought with toxic sprays. They are less noisy than stereos, motorcycles, or lawn mowers. And they are pretty.
Please do not fight to prevent your citizens from having pet chickens. Nobody’s dog makes breakfast, but their hens will.
Dear Mr. Gugal:
Thank you for your email expressing your desire to have backyard chickens in Virginia Beach.
As you probably know, in our city, we allow chickens on property zoned for agricultural use, and residents living in those areas know this can be expected. In residential zoning districts, those living there expect an environment in keeping with a residential lifestyle. Chickens or livestock of any kind are not typically seen as a part of that environment. As such, I personally cannot support the keeping of chickens in backyards in residential areas. I know there are many people who would be very responsible in the upkeep of their chickens. Unfortunately, that may not be the case for everyone.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my views. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may provide any future assistance.
William D. Sessoms, Jr.
Mayor
City of Virginia Beach
Office of the Mayor
2401 Courthouse Drive, Building 1, Room 234
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757-385-4581 (MAIN)
757-385-5699 (FAX)
wsessoms@vbgov.com
Thank you for posting the reply you got from the mayor! And thank you for your support!
Looks like we all will get the same response from Mayor Sessoms -
Thank you for your email sharing your support for your friend Tracy Gugal Okroy’s backyard chickens in Virginia Beach.
As you probably know, in our city, we allow chickens on property zoned for agricultural use, and residents living in those areas know this can be expected. In residential zoning districts, those living there expect an environment in keeping with a residential lifestyle. Chickens or livestock of any kind are not typically seen as a part of that environment. As such, I personally cannot support the keeping of chickens in backyards in residential areas. I know there are many people who would be very responsible in the upkeep of their chickens. Unfortunately, that may not be the case for everyone.
You asked if I have the courage to commit one way or another on this issue. As I stated above, and have put in writing to Ms. Okroy, I do not support the keeping of chickens in backyards in residential areas in Virginia Beach.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my views. Please do not hesitate to contact me if I may provide any future assistance.
William D. Sessoms, Jr.
Mayor
City of Virginia Beach
Office of the Mayor
2401 Courthouse Drive, Building 1, Room 234
Virginia Beach, VA 23456
757-385-4581 (MAIN)
757-385-5699 (FAX)
wsessoms@vbgov.com
Thank you for sharing!
It sure looks like the EXACT SAME email response Charles Gugal received. Verbatim!
I have owned and raised chickens in the past. Chickens are “green” do-gooders. They eat bugs in gardens and yards, thus reducing/eliminating need for pesticides; they scratch at the ground, allowing air into roots and eliminating weedy growth; they provide fresh eggs on-site, reducing the need to drive a carbon-emitting car to the grocery store for eggs; they provide rich compost for use in yard and garden; they don’t bark or bite and generally “mind their own business”; they’re fun to raise and keep, and pretty to look at; they provide an educational opportunity for children, both in animal behavior, and the knowledge of a food source (poultry, eggs); they’re fun to enter into county fairs, and a source of pride and responsibility for their owners (children and adults)! And, chickens are alive and thriving on apartment rooftops in NYC ! One stipulation to owning chickens in suburban areas: No roosters allowed, only Hens. Suburban owners of chickens should be limited to owning only that which their land could support – the no. owned depending on yard size, say one hen per 10 sq. ft., for ex. — and backyard should be fenced-in to contain them.
I agree with pretty much everything you said! No roosters, limiting the number of hens like 1 per 10 square feet of yard, fenced in yard to contain them, all great ideas! Have you contacted the city council with these wonderful ideas? Please come speak at city council meetings. The members need to know what the people who voted them in want!