Get ready to move those beehives back from the sidewalk if you live in Lakewood.
And look for eggs stands this summer in addition to lemonade stands.
Next week, the first round of changes to Lakewood’s zoning regulations take effect since the entire code book was overhauled in 2012.
Changes begin March 16 range from clarification of plaza specifications to new definitions of contractors, households and horticulture.
also will see some modifications.
Apiaries — or beehives — will now be required to be at least 25 feet from any public walkway after the city heard from people with bee allergies who feared stings from insects placed too close to sidewalks.
Residents wanting to sell eggs and vegetables harvested in their backyards can now operate a small stand in any residential neighborhood, with certain conditions.
“You can’t be in operation more than six months a year, can only sell what’s produced on site, the stand can’t infringe on a public right-of-way, be more than 50 square feet and it can’t be a permanent structure,” said Paul Rice, a city development assistance manager.
One urban farming enthusiast has urged the city to look at allowing male ducks, or drakes, to join their female counterparts on residential property.
“I can buy ducks in Colorado, but if I want to buy one of the breeds that’s a high egg producer, a duck laying 220 to 280 eggs a year, I have to order them from out of state,” Natalie Menten said of ducks not being able to reproduce under current ordinances. “And they can arrive in the mail dead and it’s not sustainable to ship them from across the country.”
Rice said that’s one of the top urban ag issues the city will look at in the next year, along with allowing neutered male goats on residential property.
Another change in city code is a loosening of requirements for property owners who want to make home improvements.
Currently, any changes over 20 percent would require a site plan review by the city. For example, a homeowner with a 1,000-square-foot home who wanted to add a 200-square-foot addition would be required to submit the plans for review.
Now, that threshold will increase to 50 percent.
City officials say they’ve been gathering resident feedback since the revamp, and the fine-tuning of ordinances is an ongoing process.
Rice added: “This is a document that will evolve over time so you can expect changes like this to occur regularly.”
Austin Briggs: 303-954-1729, abriggs@denverpost.com or twitter.com/abriggs
