The Solana Beach City Council will take final votes Wednesday, Oct. 14, on an expanded ban on single-use plastic food service ware and new rules for keeping backyard chickens and bees.
The council unanimously approved the first reading of the plastics ordinance at its Wednesday, Sept. 30 meeting. The chickens-and-bees ordinance was also introduced for first reading that night. Wednesday's second readings, scheduled for 6 p.m. at Council Chambers, 635 S. Highway 101, would make both measures law.
Plastics ban goes further
Ordinance 541 would require all food service ware distributed in Solana Beach to be reusable or compostable, The Coast News reported. The update expands the city's existing prohibition to cover all plastic food service items, including recyclable ones.
Under the new rules, compostable materials must be compatible with the composting facility used by the city's waste hauler, EDCO. Paper containers and straws without plastic coatings and untreated wood products would be allowed. Plant-based materials such as those made from corn or potato starch, along with No. 7 plastics, would be banned.
The change builds on a track record. Solana Beach became the first city in San Diego County to pass an ordinance discouraging single-use plastic bags in 2012, according to city documents. It also restricted polystyrene food containers under a 2015 ordinance.
"I'm happy that we're continuing to evolve and adapt to the necessary changes," Councilmember Dave Zito said at the Sept. 30 first reading, as reported by The Coast News.
Local groups including the Surfrider Foundation and 5 Gyres Institute supported the changes. Melissa Morris of 5 Gyres, in a statement reported by The Coast News from the Sept. 30 meeting, said plastic breaks into smaller pieces that pollute beaches and end up in air, water and food.
Chickens and bees in backyards
Ordinance 546 would amend the city's animal regulations to address residential chicken and beekeeping. Current rules allow up to 25 chickens only on lots of at least 20,000 square feet in estate and low residential zones. Bees are not allowed in residential zones.
The council first discussed expanding those rules at its Wednesday, June 10 meeting, with a presentation by Associate Planner Tiffany Wade. Support for the change dates to 2011, when a group called Friends of the Hens sent the city a signed petition, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Deputy Mayor Jill MacDonald raised concerns about small lot sizes and neighbor notification during the June 10 discussion, the Union-Tribune reported. The specific rules in the final ordinance, including flock limits and setback requirements, were not available in public documents reviewed for this article.
Development hearings
The council will also hold public hearings on two projects. One involves a second 12-month time extension for approvals at 420 Bell Ranch Road, which would push the expiration date to Aug. 23, 2027. The other is a development review permit for an addition and interior remodel at 617 W. Circle Drive. Staff recommends the council find the project exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act and conditionally approve the permit.
How to weigh in
The meeting will be broadcast on Cox Channel 19, Spectrum Channel 24 and AT&T U-verse Channel 99, and streamed on the city's website. Remote speakers must register by 5 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12. Written comments can be emailed to [email protected] with the meeting date and agenda item number in the subject line.
