They call themselves C.O.O.P. That stands for C.O.O.P. wants Johnson City to change the code so residents can keep chickens inside city limits. It's an urban trend that's gaining momentum. The Metro Nashville council narrowly approved a similar request last night. 11 Connects' George Jackson found out -- after earlier attempts failed -- C.O.O.P. has a new approach.
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TRANSCRIPT:
COOK: "There you go. Go on buffy."
Steve Cook shares his backyard with six chickens. He says, they're low maintenance.
Cook says straw from the chickens' coop does wonders on his garden.
COOK: "You talk about some fertilizer. It's good stuff."
That the birds take care of his lawn.
COOK: "Lots of weed seeds, insects, and things like that."
And the eggs are delicious.
COOK: "The other eggs just don't measure up any more."
But Cook lives in Jonesborough. Johnson City does not allow urban chickens. Planning Director Jim Donnelly says the city has two chicken rules on the books. The zoning ordinance limits them to an agricultural district.
DONNELLY: "City code reads you can't have them with 1,000 feet of any residence, business, or industry."
Emily Katt started working on a new zoning ordinance last year. Now, she's on plan B.
C.O.O.P will pitch a simple change to city code.
KATT: "A sentence added in that defines a maximum of eight hens or less as pets."
Poultry pets. Katt says the city has a wealth of rules that already govern pets -- how to secure food, dispose of waste, and keep them contained -- making enforcement easy.
KATT: "I had no idea that chickens were the controversy that they are. They elicit either intense hatred or intense love."
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