Speed Limit Reductions, Chicken Coops To Be Considered By Gloucester Township Council

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — Gloucester Township Council will hold a public hearing on and give final consideration to a proposed ordinance to lower the speed limit along Erial-Clementon Road when it meets Monday night. The council meeting is scheduled for Monday night, May 8, 7:30 p.m. at the municipal complex.

The proposal would limit the speed limit in both directions along Erial-Clementon Road from Erial-New Brooklyn Road to Hickstown Road from 40 mph to 35 mph.

Council will also give final consideration to a proposed ordinance that would allow the township to refuse an applicant under the property maintenance code if that applicant was convicted of crimes of a sexual nature or endangering the welfare of a child at any time, or any crime involving arson, aggravated assault, burglary, embezzlement, conspiracy, conversion and misappropriation of funds, extortion, larceny, loan sharking, possession of a controlled dangerous substance and any other crimes occurring in the last 10 years, or any disorderly persons or petty disorderly persons offense that took place in the last three years.

Council will consider a proposed ordinance on introduction that would allow residents to keep chickens in their backyards on a permanent basis. The pilot program currently in place expires on June 14, and this proposed ordinance would make the program permanent. Chickens can’t be killed under this program.

Anyone hoping to keep chickens in their backyard would need a license, and only 20 licenses will be issued, to residents of single-family homes. Each license allows for a resident to keep up to six chickens in their backyard. License holders must maintain chicken coops and enclosed chicken runs.

The coops and runs can’t be larger than 80 square feet, and must be 20 feet from the habitable portions of all neighboring homes, and no less than five feet from any property line. Garages and other non-habitable accessory buildings are not considered residential dwellings for the purposes of this ordinance.

Those who keep chickens must have a yard enclosed with a four-foot high fence. The maximum height for all chicken coops will be 5’6” from the natural grade. Chickens can’t roam free outside the coop or enclosed run area.
Coops must be dry and well-ventilated. They must be kept clean, and they must be predator-proof. Clean water must be provided, and food must be kept tightly closed in a metal container, away from the coop and run at night. Waste must be composted, and not disposed of in the regular trash.

Anyone who violates any portion of the ordinance will be fined up to $1,000, or imprisoned or sentenced to community service up to 90 days. Each day the violation continues is considered a separate offense, and may be subject to each or all of the penalties previously listed.

There are 15 items on the consent agenda.

To view the full agenda, visit glotwp.com.

Patch file photo