02-17-1994 Public Hearing and Regular Meeting of the La Porte Planning and Zoning Commission

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• • Plann~ and Zoning Commis.~ion • Pot-Bellied Pigs :~y Staff Report of 3/1?/94 _ Page 2 of 2 1. All cities consider pot-bellied pigs to be part of the swine family. 2. No city distinguishes or sets out pot-bellied pigs as a sepazate group. 3. The range of control on swine was from a complete prohibition of swine to allowing swine 1,000 feet or more from a residence. The more important issue to be considered in whether or not to allow pot-bellied pigs is something much larger in scope. That is the issue of how can you discriminate one type of livestock from another in considering it as a pet. I.a Porte has a number of people who raise many types of animals which include rabbits, ducks, geese, horses, cattle and even emus. Where cant a line be drawn to separate one animal from another? Many people raise cattle that aze pets and lead them azound on leashes, but does that make the animal a true pet that you would like to have in your neighbor's backyazd? Abetter case could be made for a rabbit as a pet than pot-bellied pigs. Rabbits can be confined in a small space, kept in relatively healthy conditions and never make noises that would disturb neighbors. • Yet we regularly request that they be removed from residential neighborhoods. These problems identified above aze not the only ones. There aze still problems such as 1) enforcement of regulations; 2) who defines the animal as spot-bellied pig and; 3) deed restrictions violations. StatY Recommendation: After careful consideration of the issue, the staff would recommend that no change be made to the Zoning Ordinance for the following reasons: 1. It would be inherently unfair to distinguish pot-bellied pigs from other members of the swine family as well as other livestock animals for consideration as pets. 2. The problems created by the animals, including noise and animals roaming at lazge. 3. The inability of the staff to determine or distinguish between pot-bellied pigs and other swine. • 4. It could possibly create deed restriction violations in many subdivisions which _ in turn would put a burden on homeowners to enforce.