BOUNTIFUL — The Bountiful City Planning Commission is set to review items from chickens to allowing accessory dwelling units in its Feb. 2 meeting.

The commission will meet at 7 p.m. in the planning commission conference room.

Among items to be looked at are:

• Allowing laying hens in all areas of the city

• Allowing some livestock on larger Val Verda area lots, including horses, llamas, sheep and ducks

• Allowing accessory dwelling units, such as over a detached garage

• Proposed maximum accessory building sizes, depending on the lot size

• Allowing an office to be placed in an accessory building

• Revising PUDs (planned unit developments) to a two-acre minimum in single family areas

• Consider a rezone on Highland Oaks Drive for a PUD allowing 28 homes on 10.3 acres, leaving 103 acres in open space.

The idea of allowing chickens all over the city and other animals in parts of Val Verda has received “mixed reviews” from the planning commission, City Planner Aric Jensen said.

“This is a cyclical thing, such as in the 1970s, it’s a big self-sustaining thing. Salt Lake City has approved it for laying hens citywide.

“From comments received about 10 percent are interested” in the chickens, Jensen said. “Some really object to the smell and noise. We got a lot of complaints from people (now) keeping chickens illegally.”

Currently, property owners can have a separate apartment for family members, in an attached garage. This would broaden that to detached garages, and could serve for recently-married children, a child in college.

The issue of “monster garages” is also due to be discussed. “We are proposing maximum accessory building size, based on the lot size,” Jensen said. “Now, there is no limit on size, and there could be a tiny house, with a monster garage.”

Height limits are also being considered, with an eye to not allowing neighbors’ accessory buildings to cast a shadow on adjacent property, he said.

In addition, allowing an office in an accessory building will also be discussed. “Now, people must do it in their home,” the planning director said.

“In the past there has been a problem with contractors and day care centers, who put it (operations) in a garage, creating parking problems, or storing lots of (building) materials.”

Limitations to that are being considered, such as allowing no outside storage or customers coming to and from businesses in residential zones.

“We want to encourage people to work in their homes,” Jensen said, “but not detract from their neighbors’ property. Maybe this would hearken back to the old days, when a parent often worked at home.”

No more so-called flag lots are allowed in the city, where a long driveway, with little frontage, and connects to a home in the back of another property. The two-acre minimum PUD is somewhat of a reaction to that, Jensen said.

The Highland Oaks Drive PUD is being developed by Autumn Wood Development, which has built high-end projects in Deer Valley and Park City.

“It’s a very challenging piece,” Jensen said. Of the 113.8 acres, 103.6 acres would be “permanent open space,” he said. Some 28 pads would be developed, averaging a little under one-half acre each.

“Building will be sensitive to the area,” the planner said. “These homes won’t be ramblers, etc.”

It’s geared to empty-nesters who don’t want to do yard work. “It’s probably the wave of the future as there are more baby boomers as a part of the population,” he said.

tbusselberg@davisclipper.com