Darien Question: Do Chicken Coops Hurt Property Values?

DARIEN, IL — A dispute over a chicken coop on Darien's Seminole Drive has led to a question: Do coops affect neighboring property values? At Monday's Darien City Council meeting, participants had different answers.

During the meeting, resident Jim Freidag said the chicken coop built recently by his neighbors, Melissa Goodridge and James Harvatt, is hurting his property value. He said it was an eyesore that he blames for an odor and flies. Goodridge disagreed.

Alderman Lester Vaughan said he did not know for sure what effect a coop would have on property values. Because properties in Darien are being sold fast, he said he doubted coops would have an impact on values. But he asked Alderman Joseph Kenny, a real estate agent.

Kenny said a coop could hurt values.

"If I had a buyer and we were pulling up to a property and chickens are all over and it's not kept well, I do believe that would affect the property value," Kenny said. "How much would that affect the property value? That I cannot say. It would be reasonable to say that if it was a nuisance or eyesore, the buyer won't want it. That will drop the value."

Goodridge entered the discussion.

"It highly depends on the personal perspective of the buyer that Joe just spoke about," she said. "I don't think every single person is going to be deterred."

She said someone could dislike a house for many reasons. But with a chicken coop nearby, she said, a prospective buyer may say, "Oh, wow, this is a really great up-and-coming neighborhood where they are growing food and they have these chickens."

Freidag said he wasn't looking to sell his house anytime soon, but said he feared he would get a lower price for it because of the nearby coop.

Check other stories about the chicken debate:

Backyard Chickens Upset Some Darien Residents

Darien Chicken Owner Fights For Rights

Darien Family Makes Case For Chickens

The Case Against Chickens In Darien Neighborhood

Darien Chicken Debate Goes Before Council