Evanston’s Human Services committee rejected changes Monday night to a beekeeping ordinance that would require notice and consent from adjacent neighbors before residents can set up beehives on their properties.

City staff recommended the measure after an Evanston resident brought up health concerns last fall related to her neighbor’s beehive, which was set up without her knowledge or permission. Nancy Schwartz, the resident who raised the concerns, has lupus, a disease that combined with her bee sting allergy could cause her to go into anaphylactic shock if stung. She said she and her neighbor who kept bees never had a verbal agreement about the hive.

“It was something that was not agreed to, and under the circumstances, I can’t,” Schwartz said during Monday’s meeting. “This is not fear. This is a strictly medical concern.”

Ald. Brian Miller (9th) said although the medical concerns brought up by Schwartz needed to be addressed, residents having veto power over another person’s plans to keep bees is not the right way to address the problem.

“With all respect to Schwartz, the process proposed here isn’t conducive to keeping beekeeping in Evanston,” Miller said.

Matt Rodgers, the chair of the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals, spoke at the meeting about his experience handling complaints from neighbors that involved special use requests. Rodgers said other cases involving medical issues, such as a person with asthma raising concern about smoke in a restaurant, do not give neighbors veto authority.

Ald. Delores Holmes (5th) and Ald. Mark Tendam (6th) suggested alternatives for beekeepers that could be set up in the city, such as using community gardens, parks and other public areas as areas where residents can keep beehives.

“We certainly have a lot of space along the canal,” Holmes said. “We have a responsibility to look at other options.”

Some aldermen emphasized maintaining beekeeping as a part of the community. Tendam said the benefits of having local bees would increase if they were integrated into spaces such as community gardens.

There are currently four community gardening sites in Evanston. The city offers 220 plots — in operation between March and November — for rent in the various locations throughout the city each year.

“From what I know about antihistamines, local honey is better for people because it contains the same antihistamines as local vegetation,” Tendam said. “But I think giving a single neighbor veto power would pretty much eliminate beekeeping in the city.”

The committee asked city staff to present revisions to the ordinance at the June 6 meeting based on the suggestions discussed.

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