Board declines use variance for beehives at 3805 Overdale Drive after neighbors raise safety concerns

The Board of Zoning and Planning considered and ultimately did not approve a use variance to allow three beehives at 3805 Overdale Drive. Staff advised the board that beekeeping is treated as an agricultural use under the city's unified development ordinance and is permitted only on larger parcels in RS zoning; staff recommended denial based on the standards for a use variance.

Applicant John Krivak testified he had begun keeping one hive in 2025 and later added two more; he said he had neighborhood support and offered multiple management stipulations—capping colonies at three, maintaining a 10‑foot setback, providing on‑site water to direct foraging, registering with beekeeper associations and allowing city inspection. Several neighbors testified in opposition, saying they had observed energized bee activity near pools and a small cluster of stings. One neighbor told the board five people had been stung in their pool and said the operation had expanded after the city opened a case.

Board members noted policy and precedent, and several said they would support a citywide code discussion about urban beekeeping. On the hearing record the motion to approve did not carry; the board did not grant the use variance.