Wednesday, November 9, 2011

30 Acre Farm, Residential Zoning....

We found a 30 acre farm in foreclosure about 3 miles north of Dawsonville, GA.  We thought we did all the research that we needed to.  Looked it up in the county GIS map and checked the zoning (R-A, Residential Agriculture).  County zoning rules looked appropriate, so we put in an offer.  Frantically getting inspections and quotes on repairs, we failed to discover that it was actually in the city limits of Dawsonville, GA, and zoned R-1 (Residential).  Come to find out, the previous owner requested "Annexation" in to the city back in 2005 (with a default zoning of R-1 for all annexed property), when the real estate market was booming (hoping some developer would swoop in and buy it up, is my guess).  Well, no developers came, and the farm still looks like a farm.  The surrounding area is also undeveloped, large acreage tracts (like over 100 acres each).  So, we looked into how R-1 zoning was defined in this rural town of just over 2000 citizens.

If you read no further than this, please check out this article: http://www.dawsonnews.com/section/4/article/8028/ on the deannexation request.  If you support safe, locally grown food, please click the "like" button in the upper right-hand corner of the article.

Now, back to the zoning issues.  The primary restriction in R-1 that relates to livestock is highlighted:

ARTICLE VIII.  R-1, RESTRICTED SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

Sec. 801.  Purpose and intent.
The restricted single-family residential district is and area where substantial investment in permanent residence has been made or planned. Uses which will devalue investment and undermine environmental quality are prohibited. This district is intended to establish and preserve quiet, stable single-family residential neighborhoods at low densities (up to approximately one unit per acre) free from other uses except those which are compatible with and convenient to the residents of such a district and should be located away from intensive or commercial development, manufactured, industrialized, relocated or temporary housing.

Sec. 802.  Permitted uses.
[The following uses are permitted in the R-1, restricted single-family residential district:]
1.   Single-family detached dwellings, but not including manufactured homes, travel trailers used as residences, or modular homes.
2.   Accessory buildings and uses customarily incidental to the principal residential use of the property, including home gardens, noncommercial greenhouses, and shelters or enclosures for three or less household pets that meet applicable health requirements. The keeping of four or more animals shall constitute a kennel. The keeping of one noncommercial livestock is allowed (with the exception of hogs) on lots with a minimum of five acres, provided that any buildings or enclosures for the maintenance or shelter of animals shall be setback a minimum of 150 feet from any property line. Noise and smell from the commercial livestock must be kept to a minimum.
3.   Churches, temples, synagogues and places of worship, and their solely owned and operated customary accessory facilities, including cemeteries, provided such uses are located on a lot with a minimum area of two acres, principal buildings are setback a minimum of 50 feet from any property line, and parking areas are located outside of the required front yard and separated from any side or rear property line by a minimum six-foot high, opaque fence or wall, or a densely planted landscape strip of at least ten feet in width.
4.   Home occupations, as defined in article III and limited in section 713.
5.   Parks, playgrounds, community centers, tennis courts, swimming pools, golf courses and other recreational facilities, operated on a nonprofit basis.
6.   Public and semi-public buildings and uses, as defined in article III.
7.   Schools, public elementary, middle and secondary.
8.   Schools, parochial and private offering courses in general education substantially similar to that of a public school, not offered for profit.
RESTRICTED SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT: R-1
TABLE INSET:

  Minimum
Lot Size
   
Front
Setback
   
Side
Setback
   
Rear
Setback
   
Minimum
Square
Footage
   
Maximum Height of Structure   
1 Acre   50'   20'   40'   1,500'   35'   




Now, that last sentence is interesting. They elude to commercial livestock, but then comes the new RA (Restricted Agricultural) district that was approved March 2011.  It's more promising, but still has quite a few restrictions.  It also further defines that no fowl (ie. chickens) are allowed in any zoning district inside the City Limits:


ARTICLE XXII.2.  RESTRICTED AGRICULTURAL (RA) DISTRICT

Sec. 2200.2.1.  Purpose and intent.
The restricted agricultural (RA) district is an area which remains rural in character, yet where urban growth and expansion is expected to reach in the future. The regulations of this district are intended to provide a favorable climate for both agricultural and nonagricultural development and to provide orderly, timely, economic growth, as well as to recognize current conditions. The purpose of this district is to permit low-intensity and restricted agricultural uses in those areas which remain rural in character, yet where urban growth and expansion is expected in the future as the city develops. The preferred land uses in the district are agricultural, either active in the form of crops, or passive in the form of forest management or pasture lands with limited animal density. The requirements of the district are designed to encourage the continuing low-intensity agriculture use of the property and protect active urban uses found in adjacent districts of the city.
(Ord. of 3-7-2011, § 1)

Sec. 2200.2.2.  Permitted uses.
1.   Single-family detached dwellings, but not including manufactured homes, travel trailers used as residences, or modular homes. Density of dwellings is limited to no more than one dwelling per two acres (two acres is the minimum lot size for the RA zoning district).
2.   Agriculture, general and specialized farming, including: horticulture, plant nursery, greenhouse, dairy farming, and livestock raising, subject to the restrictions set forth in section 2200.2.3, infra.
3.   Riding stable, provided buildings housing animals are at least 100 feet from all property lines and the lot is not less than ten acres.
4.   Kennel and/or animal hospital, provided buildings housing animals are fully enclosed and at least 100 feet from all property lines and all pens, runs, etc. which are not located in a fully-enclosed building are at least 200 feet from all property lines. The keeping of four or more animals shall constitute a kennel. Minimum lot size for a kennel is five acres.
5.   Accessory buildings and uses customarily incidental to the principal residential and agricultural uses of the property. Buildings and structures which are intended for use or used for the housing or shelter of livestock and silos, granaries, windmills, barns, and similar structures which are related to the operation of an agricultural enterprise shall observe a minimum setback of one hundred feet from any property line and be spaced a minimum of five hundred feet from any residence or business on an adjoining property.
6.   Churches, temples, synagogues and places of worship, and their solely owned and operated customary accessory facilities, including cemeteries, provided such uses are located on a lot with a minimum area of two acres, principal buildings are setback a minimum of 50 feet from any property line, and parking areas are located outside of the required front yard and separated from any side or rear property line by a minimum six-foot-high, opaque fence or wall, or a densely planted landscape strip of at least ten feet in width.
7.   Home occupations, as defined in article III and limited in section 713.
8.   Parks, playgrounds, community centers, tennis courts, swimming pools, golf courses and other recreational facilities, operated on a non-profit basis.
9.   Public and semi-public buildings and uses, as defined in article III.
10.   Schools, public elementary, middle and secondary.
11.   Schools, parochial and private offering courses in general education substantially similar to that of a public school, not offered for profit.
(Ord. of 3-7-2011, § 1)

Sec. 2200.2.3.  Limitation on livestock and domestic pets; prohibition of hogs/pigs and fowl in the restricted agricultural (RA) district.
Horses, cows, goats, sheep, ponies, donkeys and other permitted domestic livestock may be kept, raised or bred in the RA district, provided that only two such animals shall be permitted for each one acre of open pastureland. All such livestock shall be contained adequately by suitable fencing within the specific property, and any buildings or structures for livestock shall be setback at least 100 feet from all property lines. Dogs, cats and other domestic pets may be kept, raised or bred in the RA district, provided that only three such animals shall be permitted for each one acre of lot size and all such domestic pets are subject to the kennel restriction contained in subsection 2200.2.2(4). The keeping or raising of fowl (chickens, etc.) or hogs/pigs, or the operation of a feed lot, is expressly prohibited because of their potential negative impact on adjacent urban use districts. All types of fowl, hogs and pigs are deemed prohibited domestic livestock and may not kept or raised in any zoning district within the city. Noise and smell from the livestock must be kept to a minimum.

So, I talked to the planning department, which suggested I talk to the mayor.  I told him our plans for a sustainable farm with a few of cows, goats/sheep, and chickens and was told, "I'm sure we can work something out"  We shook hands, and he asked me to come to the city council to explain my intentions.  Well, I must have said something wrong during my explanation, because he his response blindsided me.  He stated that they decided a while back that chickens would not be allowed inside the city limits.  There didn't seem to be any flexibility that a zoning change would fix. Bear in mind that this is a 30 acre parcel, surrounded by tracts of over 100 acres, with the exception of one 5 acre tract of foreclosed commercial property (unincorporated) that was recenty sold.  The tract that wraps around the south and west of the property is also unincorporated.  I don't think anyone would be bothered by a few hens laying eggs.  

With that response, I asked if deannexation was a possibility. To which the attorney responded that that was my right, but without anything to vote on, they couldn't give me a firm answer.  After all, they city's stance against the county was that it was the property owner's right to annex into the city, if that's what they wanted.  Well, this property owner would now like to deannex back to the county to the same zoning it was before it was annexed.  

Well, I followed through and asked the county if they would allow the deannexation.  The county approved the resolution, so now I have to petition the city to approve it.  There are a couple of gotcha's, but luckily none that apply to this property.  For instance, you cannot create an "island" of unincorporated property within the city limits (by the way, the same goes for annexation).  Since the property to the south and west of me is unincorporated (technically an unincorporated island--not sure how the annexation that created that island was legally done), and the property to my northeast is unincorporated, that's not an issue.  Also you need 100% of the landowner's signatures.  The bank's asset manager is on board and has signed the petition.  With my signature (not technically an owner yet, but under contract), that gives us 100%.  So, next step, the City Council.

During this, a local news reporter was in attendance at the City Council meeting and the County Board of Commissioner's meeting.  She interviewed me and wrote this article: http://www.dawsonnews.com/section/4/article/8028/ on the deannexation request.  If you support safe, locally grown food, please click the "like" button in the upper right-hand corner of the article.

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Death of a Home Build

Before you get to start building and get financing from a bank, you need an appraisal, just as if you were buying any home.  The appraiser uses your house plans and elevation drawings to compare it to other houses sold in the area (as if it were already built).  The number of foreclosures in the area has continued to drive down home values, and like people attempting to sell their homes, we were going to be 30% underwater before we even built the home.  This, of course, negated bank financing.  If we had cash, we could still build, but we didn't have that kind of cash, and financially it made no sense to do so.

For a long time, my wife has been saying that there were signs that we should not build, but I was determined to complete the project.  This was the last nail in the coffin.  Sad, but true, we will not be able to build the house we worked so hard on.  Southland said they had experienced problems with appraisal values of other houses, but had worked through them.  I'm guessing the clients brought more cash to the table to offset the appraisal difference on some of the smaller houses, but we just didn't have that kind of cash.  This project was over.  Killed by foreclosures and banks.

We sent a certified letter (receipt required) letting to Southland requesting that the contract be terminated.  We received the green "receipt" card, but no further communication.  I can only assume that the contract is terminated, and no further action is required.  Ultimately, it cost us $2500 for the drafting and estimating.  They definitely earned the money, and I'm sorry that it ended this way.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Adding Sugar Water Feeders to the Hives

I'm using an "inside the hive" feeder method.  The hive on the left was set up yesterday with just a veil on and no camera crew, but today I figured, I had the bee suit, I should use it.



A little puff of smoke to let them know I'm here and to not bother me (it causes them to take on honey and masks the alarm pheromones):


Take off the top and give them another puff through the top inner screen:

Now it's fully open, nothing stopping them from attacking, but they don't seem to mind (bees really are pretty calm):

Now I place the inner top on upside down (so the notch faces the hive frames). I don't want the notch up, which is the usual method, which allows bees to come in, then down the center hole, because I'm going to cover the center hole with the feeder.  This way, they can still use the top entrance to get to the hive, and the feeder can be accessed later without opening the active part of the hive.

Container of sugar syrup (1:1 sugar to water):

The lid has a series of 1/16" holes drilled into it, that when the vacuum forms, just allows drips of sugar water to hang for the bees:

Positioning the feeder over the hole in the inner cover:

Stack on a couple of empty supers to cover the feeder:

Reinstall the inner screen to ensure no bees get in through the top (not really necessary):

Then put back on the telescoping top (metal covered lid) and cinch down the straps (so no animals can get inside):

Done!

Monday, October 3, 2011

Picking up Bee Nucs

So, the normal way to start beekeeping is to order and build your equipment in the winter, take some hands-on classes, then patiently wait for your 3 lbs package bees to arrive sometime in late spring (early spring if you are lucky).  Well, this gives you a slow start, as you've missed alot of the big pollen/nectar season of early spring (Maple trees, for one).  The bees spend most of the nectar on energy to drawing out new comb and feeding the baby bees.

The less traditional manner is to jump right in and order a nuc from late Spring, Summer, to as late as Fall.  A nuc is typically 5 frames of drawn comb with brood, pollen stores, and honey--all covered in bees.  You bring this home and put it in your super with 3 more empty frames for growth, give them sugar water solution to build up some stores for winter.  Some bee farms will sell these as late as early October.  It's a bit of a gamble, but if all goes well, you get a head start on the next season, and you could be harvesting lots of honey the first year.

Bill's Honey Bees of LaFayette, GA, offered to sell me two nucs at a good price and give me a crash course for free!

Sure enough, just after scheduling my nuc pick up, I herniated a disc in my lower back.  Under heavy pain killers and muscle relaxers, I was in no shape to drive.  Luckily, my loving wife was willing to load up the entire family for a 2.5 hr road trip to LaFayette, GA on a Sunday afternoon.

Dylan was a bit surprised at the size of their operation, and it was a bit intimidating at first, but their bees are quite calm.  They just want to do what bees do, and provided you don't try to squash one, they really don't want to sting you.

Here are some pictures from Bill's Honey Bees:



That's me in the veil.  Bill uses no protective gear and was only stung once after pilfering several hives.




Bill holding a frame of bees.  You can put your hand on them and pet them. They don't seem to care a bit.


This is the process to add new (flightless) bees to an existing hive or nuc.  Since they are young, they have no issue switching to a new queen.  With a good hard shake, the young, flightless bees land on the rubber mat on the ground, and the older bees fly off back to their original hive.

Here is what you are left with (a bunch of flightless bees on a rubber mat).  It takes this bunch a bit before they figure out where the nuc box is (smell of beeswax or the queen lures them in).

But once one finds the nuc, she raises her abdomen and fans her wings to spread the scent and the rest follow.

Live action motion:



We also found this bug eating a bee.  Bill had not seen this bug before, so he asked me to take a picture.  After posting on Beesource Forum, I got a quick answer--a Bee Assassin Bug.  Not considered a real threat to the bee population, but occasionally, they get a bee.


My new hives, positioned for early morning sun:



First morning out, and they've already found the basil in our garden and are bringing in pollen from our neighbors flowers:

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Ultra Breeze Bee Suit

My Ultra Breeze Bee Suit arrived today (well, a few days ago, but I caught a few photos of my son trying out the gear--yeah, you can rap in them). This sort of reminded me of the hampsters in the Kia Soul commercial.



See the resemblance?    He is in the XL sized suit, which fits me, but swallows him up.



Overall, a very well made suit and easy to work in.

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Bee Equipment Has Arrived

Well, after reading several beekeeping books and Linda's Bees Blog, I took the plunge and ordered our bee equipment based on her recommendations from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.  All medium 8-Frame equipment and enough for 2 hives, 5 supers tall.  The only difference is that I ordered top and bottom grooved frames, since I plan on going with the minimalist approach of just using a starter strip of wax, rather than using an entire wax foundation.  This allows the bees to build the size comb cells that they want to build, rather than have us dictate the size to the bees. Allowing the bees to build smaller brood cells is supposed to reduce the varroa (bee mites) problem.

Now let me back track a bit for those of you not familiar with beekeeping.

Supers are the levels of the hive.  Traditionally, they use deep supers for the lower brood sections.  Then there are medium (depth) supers and shallow supers for honey.  This is great, but makes it hard to interchange parts, which ultimately means you have to have more spare equipment on hand.  By using all medium supers, this means less overall cost.

Here's the unassembled hive parts (10 8-Frame medium supers, and 100 Frames of the Grooved Top and Bottom board variety)  Yes, I only needed 80 frames, but if you order 100, it saves you $0.05 (or 5.9%) each.  It looks pretty overwhelming, until you start working on it.  Then you realize it is overwhelming.  ;)



These supers from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm go together with waterproof wood glue and 7D nails, with some help from a rubber mallet. The nail holes are pre-drilled, which makes it much easier to assemble.  Great project for the whole family. Dylan is working on frame assembly, while I assemble the supers.











Get the kids involved, they can help with the hammering:


Twice the speed with two kids hammering!


With the help of Dylan, Max, and Isabel, it doesn't take too long to knock out 5 medium supers and several frames.



Frames hold the comb and hang in the supers.  Since we're using all medium supers, this means all medium frames.  One size frame means they can be used in any super for any purpose (brood, pollen, honey).

Frame assembly is a bit tedious, but it saves $0.50/frame to assemble them yourselves.  Again, glue and nails, bu this time, it's 1-1/4" nails.  Each frame gets 10 nails.

First, set the frame tops (the wider piece grooved side up on your work surface).  Put some waterproof wood glue on the wider end of the frame ends:

Spread it around with a cheap paint brush:

And press it down into the groove of the top bar:

Repeat for the other end:

Then spread glue in the notch at the narrower side of the frame ends to accept the bottom bar:



Insert bottom bar (grooved side down, or on the inside of the frame):

 Now, flip the whole assembly and put 2 of the 1-1/4" nails into each end of the top bar:


Flip it back over and do the same for the bottom bar. Not much room to get two nails into each end (4 total for bottom bar), but you can do it. Guide the nail, as sometimes the wood grain tries to push it where you don't want it to go (like out the side of the frame ends):


Now for the tricky part, the angled nail from the frame end, into the frame top.  This takes some practice, as we had several bend and go along the top bar, rather than into the top bar.  A nail gun would come in handy for this, but I already ordered the regular nails, and I figured Dylan could use some hammering practice. ;)

Repeat on other side (just one nail in each side):

Then drop them into your super for neat storage.  That seven frames complete, 93 more to go...

As I went along, I found it easier to put 8 frame tops (grooved side up) side-by-side.  Then take 4 frame ends, hold them so the notches lined up, run a bead of glue across the top and bottom notches (spreading with a paint brush), then sticking them on the top bar and adding the bottom bar.  Repeat.  Then go ahead and nail in the bottom bar where they lie. Flip and nail in the top bar.  Then finish off with the angled nails.

Normally, then entire frame is filled with a thin sheet of beeswax imprinted with a comb design (called foundation).  The bees then follow the design and draw out the comb, but this limits them to drawing out comb based on the size of the imprint. Some have theorized that this has allowed the varroa mites to become a problem.  So, there are many believers that the cure is to allow the bees to build their size comb that they see fit, and thus, the foundationless frame method was developed.  Bush Farms has a good write-up on this.

I ultimately went with a small 3.5cm strip of cutcomb foundation (4 strips cut out of a standard, medium cutcomb foundation sheet using a ruler and a pizza cutter) and "Jumbo Craft Sticks".  Put two popsicle sticks under each end of the comb strip, then press two on top.


Put some glue in each end of the grooved top bar, then pick this up and push it into the groove.

That's one, just 99 more to go.