Norwalk beekeeping restriction prompts emotional debate

NORWALK, Conn. – A regulation regarding bee-keeping in Norwalk was passed Wednesday night by the Zoning Commission in spite of comments from citizens who thought that it might not be needed and might not be legal.

The regulation to limit the number of beehives to two per quarter acre was inspired by a bee farm owned by Andrew Cote at 137 Silvermine Ave. The regulation will not affect Cote, who is grandfathered in. Commissioners said he currently has 16 beehives on his .23 acre property, described as the smallest farm in Connecticut.

Cote, who says bee-keeping is his sole source of income, was accused at the meeting of misrepresenting himself by a neighbor who said he didn’t really live on the property and that he had honey delivered to him.

Cote denied the allegations, but he had already spoken and wasn’t allowed to return to the lectern. His mother, Edith Cote, said that, although her son, the president of the New York City Beekeepers Association, has an apartment in Manhattan, he does live on Silvermine Avenue, going in and out a side door. He has lived there for years, she said, and hasn’t had the Manhattan apartment long. Another person said that Cote, as a farmer, rises early and goes to bed early.

Cote’s immediate neighbor, Jeff Hall, questioned the validity of the resolution.

“I’m sure it’s well meaning and I’m sure you may think there’s a problem, but I left for work early today. I found it difficult to convince my colleagues at Mount Sinai, my fellow scientists, that this was really a proposal,” he said.

There has been commercial bee-keeping in Norwalk for more than 300 years with no problems, Hall said. “As far as I know, one has a problem with the bees, they have a problem with the beekeeper,” he said. “That’s not really a matter for this body. … This would be an insane proposal. In a few years by plan the only type of produce that you would be allowed to legally buy from a commercial farmer in Norwalk would be medical marijuana. I don’t think that’s what the voters intended.”

Hall cited Connecticut zoning law and the Connecticut Right to Farm law, saying, “I don’t think you have the authority to determine livestock density.”

Commissioner Adam Blank said the regulation was researched months ago by committee members who contacted the Bee Lab at the University of Minnesota. “The professor led us down this crazy path, two hives per quarter acre,” he said. Commissioners modeled their regulation after one instituted by the city of Minneapolis, he said.

Diane Lauricella, an environmental activist, said “bees are important,” but “by having as many beehives as this site has, cheek by jowl is almost, they are increasing the potential for bee to human exposure. … I do think it poses a threat to the neighborhood because of the density of the industrial use of this bee-hive.” She wanted the Zoning Commission to consult with the health department.

Local farming is important, said Councilwoman Anna Duleep, a resident of the neighborhood, but there are people who are allergic. Duleep suggested getting the council’s ordinance committee involved.

Cote said that the way things were going, Norwalk might want to think about a ban on peanuts. “As long as a person doesn’t kick the beehive they are safe,” he said. “ … So few cities have (regulations) because they’re not necessary. Even New York City doesn’t have regulations.”

Commissioner Joe Santo suggested Cote could avoid problems with his neighbors if he conformed better with the neighborhood. “Your property looks dumpy,” he said.

Cote responded, “I thought we were talking about bee keeping, not how many buckets are on my property.” He later apologized and said he was on edge.

David Forslund said he had complained about Cote with the full knowledge that any zoning regulation that ensued would not apply to his neighbor and the farm he called a “nuisance.”

“I did not want to see this happen elsewhere in our city,” he said.

Lynn Detroy said Cote did a great job removing a swarm of bees from the First Congregational Church on the Green. She said his passion admirable.

“If the bees are happy and producing honey and it’s all organic, that’s only positive,” she said. “What’s negative is to have a neighbor who would start all of this, who is probably a neighbor I would never want to live next to again. I would rather live with three million bees than that person. The bees are not obscene.”