At the February 17, 2026 Board of Supervisors meeting, I spoke in support of allowing backyard beekeeping by right in the R-1 zoning district.

I genuinely appreciate the direction this ordinance takes.

Allowing responsible beekeeping without requiring a conditional use permit reduces barriers for residents who want to learn, participate in pollinator stewardship, and contribute to local agricultural awareness. Removing unnecessary procedural hurdles is a step toward practical governance.

That said, one provision caught my attention.

The proposed 200-foot setback allows for an unlimited number of hives. While that may not be the intent, it creates the possibility that a residential property could house dozens — even hundreds — of colonies.

At some point, scale matters.

In my remarks, I suggested that once operations move beyond roughly 12–18 hives, the activity begins to resemble small-scale commercialization rather than hobbyist beekeeping. If someone wants to operate at that level, there are zoning districts more appropriate for that scale.

My position was simple:

• Yes to backyard beekeeping.
• Yes to education and pollinator support.
• Yes to reducing red tape.
• But also yes to reasonable limits that preserve residential balance.

Beekeeping can strengthen community awareness of agriculture and local food systems. It can support farmers markets and regional honey production. It can even complement agritourism in indirect ways.

But residential zoning exists for a reason. Thoughtful guardrails ensure that good ideas remain good neighbors.

Below is the full video clip from the public hearing.

Transcript

0:01 Good evening, Lewis Moten from the
0:02 North River District. I just want to add
0:05 my support for allowing uh responsible
0:08 backyard beekeeping with uh residents in
0:11 R1. Um the main thing I I have with this
0:16 I love that by right you don’t have to
0:18 go through hoops, get permits and all
0:20 that stuff. The main issue is the 200 foot
0:23 setback allows for an unlimited number
0:25 of beehives. And I’m thinking for a
0:28 residential one zone, you don’t want
0:30 like a hundred colonies being in an
0:34 apiary there. Um I think once you get to
0:37 like 20 plus, you’re getting into
0:38 small-scale commercialization as a side
0:40 business. And I think maybe we we should
0:43 probably limit to like maybe 12 to 18
0:45 highs for the serious hobbyist and like
0:48 if they want to go professional
0:52 get a property that’s more in line for
0:54 that zoning. But this is I I love the
0:58 fact that the beehives are coming here.
1:00 It’s it’s going to allow the community
1:02 to learn more about this. And I know a
1:04 few of you love the aggrotourism side
1:06 of things. This isn’t really that, but
1:09 it really helps with that for them to go
1:11 to places to sell honey. They can’t sell
1:14 it there, but they can go to other
1:16 places from what I understand. So, thank
1:18 you very much.