Juneau Assembly will hear neighbors' appeal of a Mendenhall Valley hobby farm permit

The Juneau Assembly agreed Monday to hear neighbors' appeal of a hobby farm permit in the Mendenhall Valley.

The Planning Commission approved the permit in September for a property on Silver Street. It allows up to 100 chickens and ducks for part of the year.

Twenty-two residents appealed, asking the Assembly to throw the permit out. They say the public notice didn't include the number of animals requested and that the commission changed the project description. They also say the record doesn't support the numbers it approved, several conditions conflict with city code and the decision doesn't fit the city's comprehensive plan.

Accepting the appeal doesn't decide it. On the city attorney's recommendation, Assembly members will hear the case themselves instead of sending it to an outside hearing officer, with Assemblymember Nano Brooks presiding. If they deny the appeal, the commission's decision stands. No hearing date has been set.

The applicant, Southeast Endeavors, LLC, first asked for up to 200 chickens and 30 other farm animals on two lots, far beyond what city code allows without a permit. Shawn Kantola, representing the company, told the commission in August that those numbers were a ceiling, not a plan. Neighbors who spoke raised worries about noise, odor and bears.

The commission approved a scaled-back version 7-0 on Sept. 8. It allows 50 chickens and ducks, rising to 100 from March through September, and four other farm animals year-round, with up to 15 in those months, the city attorney told the Assembly. City staff had recommended conditions including noise limits and electric fencing to deter bears.

Because the case is now before them on appeal, Assembly members can't read or respond to correspondence about it, under rules posted on the Assembly website.