MANCHESTER, N.H. – An Orange Street woman seeking to continue having a chicken coop on her property has been denied the opportunity by the Manchester Zoning Board of Appeals, after the hearing was delayed in March.
On Thursday, the ZBA denied her request for variances to keep four domesticated hens on a 10,430 square foot lot in a house four feet away from her property line. Under Manchester’s zoning ordinance, at least half an acre or 21,780 square feet are required as well as a 20-foot setback.
Claire Provencher, a retired teacher who bought the Orange Street property in 2011, has maintained the chicken coop for four years. She told the board the hens have not caused any problems other than a pest infestation, which she believes came from a chicken coop that was operated by her rear neighbor that was immediately adjacent to her fence. Provencher now pays a local company to bait her property annually for pests which resolved the problem, even though she believes her coop did not cause the problem.
Provencher’s neighbors supported her request to continue maintaining the coop, praising Provencher’s fastidiousness, the lack of impact they’ve perceived on their properties, the therapeutic impact of owning chickens and Provencher’s willingness to share eggs with the neighborhood.
“They are clean, friendly and they give great eggs, I vote yes,” said Kim Ignaszewski Hughes, one of Provencher’s abutting neighbors.
Only one neighbor, Ben Heroux, expressed concern. Heroux said his main concern was the rat infestation in 2021. He was also concerned about the smell as well. Provencher replied that the infestation was from the coop in the adjacent lot.
Provencher also shared zoning ordinances and bylaws from other communities in New Hampshire where her chicken coop would be allowed as long as none of the chickens were roosters.
The request was ultimately denied due to the size of Provencher’s property, which ZBA Chairman Robert Breault noted is half of the area cited within the zoning ordinance.