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REPORT <br />To the Honorable Mayor and City Council <br />From the City Manager <br /> <br />August 8, 2016 <br /> <br />SUBJECT <br />Redwood City Code Amendments regarding the Keeping of Bees <br /> <br />RECOMMENDATION <br />1. Hold a Public Hearing on the Redwood City Code Amendments <br />2. Waive first reading and introduce an Ordinance amending Sections 21.7, 21.8 and <br />21.9 of the Redwood City Code regarding the Keeping of Bees <br /> <br />BACKGROUND <br />At the City Council meeting of July 27, 2015, residents requested that City Council <br />consider less stringent setback requirements for bee hives. The City Council directed <br />staff to analyze those requirements and, if appropriate, propose changes to the <br />Municipal Code. <br /> <br />ANALYSIS <br />Currently the Municipal Code requires that bee hives be kept at least 150 feet from any <br />adjacent dwelling. Fewer than five percent of lots in Redwood City would allow for this <br />distance. Community members have requested revising these restrictions to allow <br />residents to keep bees on more standard-sized lots in safe conditions. <br /> <br />A group of community members known as the “Bee Legal Task Force” have submitted a <br />statement of justification for revisions to the City’s existing bee hive ordinance <br />(Attachment 2). As described in the attachment, bees are critical to our environment and <br />food supply. The recent increase of disease, including “Colony Collapse” disorder, has <br />greatly reduced bee populations. Local beekeepers can help support bee populations, <br />provide education to the public, and provide services to remove swarms and unwanted <br />wild hives on private property. <br /> <br />A comparison of the differing requirements among San Mateo County jurisdictions is <br />also provided in Attachment 2. Generally, Redwood City’s requirements are more <br />stringent than other communities, though methods of regulating beehives vary. The Bee <br />Legal Task Force has also provided some information about code enforcement <br />incidents relating to bees in other jurisdictions (Attachment 3). Lastly, staff has received <br />7.A. - Page 1