City Council Postpones Decision on Backyard Bees

The Aliso Viejo City Council voted Wednesday to table a decision that would have prohibited residents from keeping bees in their backyards.

In a 5-0 vote, officials passed the first reading of a planned zoning code amendment—agenda item seven—but removed a section in the proposed ordinance that dealt with the keeping of beehives in residential districts.

City Councilman William Phillips, who moved the amended item, said he was concerned that banning beekeeping might interfere with the city’s green initiative, an ongoing plan to make the city more environmentally friendly—for example, by encouraging locals to grow their own food.

“I’m the not the biological expert, but if you want to be able to grow food, you need bees,” Phillips said.

The City Council asked its staff to investigate the issue of residential beekeeping, weigh its pros and cons and analyze any possible conflicts with the city's green initiative.

Currently, privately run beehives are not listed as permitted in the city zoning code, but they are also not specifically banned, according to Larry Lawrence, city consulting planner who helped develop the proposed zoning amendment.

The City Council on March 2.  

During the meeting, Mayor Carmen Cave said she thought beekeeping is “more appropriate for rural or agricultural types of land use.”

Cave added that one of the problems with beekeeping is the possibility that a swarm of bees from a local hive “breaks off and decides ‘Hey, the house next door is really neat place to live.’ "

The insects pollinate many types of plants, helping garden and crop growth. Of course, bees produce honey as well.

However, many people are allergic to bee stings, and because of an influx of Africanized honeybees, some people are concerned about the dangers of the overaggressive bees taking over the normally peaceful European hives.

No residents spoke on the issue during the public-comments segment.

Other business:

With a vote of 4-1, the council approved a conditional-use permit for Kingsfield Church that allows the church to grow from 5,500 square feet to 10,450 square feet at Pacific Park Plaza.

Cave, who cast the dissenting vote, said she felt church officials had not been honest with the council at a previous meeting when church officials said they had no expansion plans.

“They lied to us,” Cave said in an interview afterward. “We asked them [if they had expansion plans] when they first came in.”

Chris Norman, head pastor of the church, addressed the council and said  the church originally had no expansion plans and that its current location had been a temporary home.

He said, however, that when a nearby space in the Pacific Park Plaza opened up, church officials thought it made more sense to expand in that direction.

“It’s just a misunderstanding,” Norman said, referring to Cave’s statement that church officials lied.

Norman added that he’s excited the council approved the conditional-use permit.

The next meeting of the Aliso Viejo City Council takes place at 7 p.m. April 6 at 12 Journey in the council chambers.