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Hendry County amends LDC to allow shipping containers with carve-outs after public hearing
Summary
The county approved language allowing shipping containers as accessory structures on larger parcels, adopting option 4 with specific carve-outs for several residential and HOA areas.
Hendry County commissioners on Tuesday voted to advance a Land Development Code amendment that would allow shipping containers as accessory-use structures on parcels that meet size thresholds, with specific carve-outs requested by commissioners.
Planning Director Ryan Alexander told the board the amendment, LDC 25-0001, would permit 40-foot containers on larger parcels and 20-foot containers on smaller parcels under the options presented. The board considered four options: two broad size-based approaches (1 acre and 0.75 acre thresholds) and two variants that carve out sensitive neighborhoods and homeowners associations (HOAs).
After several commissioners described HOA and riverfront areas they wanted excluded from the new rules — including Hooker’s Point and sections of Greenwood Acres and HOAs along the Caloosahatchee River — the board accepted “option 4,” which keeps the parcel-size approach but removes the specified neighborhoods from eligibility. Commissioner Emery Howard moved the measure; Commissioner Raymond Iglesias seconded. Commissioners voted unanimously in a public hearing to accept option 4 and directed staff to return with the revised petition for signature by the chair.
In discussion, commissioners and residents asked for clarifications about commercially zoned lots in Montura and whether specific frontage areas or small communities should be carved out. Alexander said the language would allow property owners to use the size-based allowance except where the board chooses to exclude zones or HOA areas. The board confirmed it did not intend to vote on a finalized ordinance language that night beyond approving the option; staff will prepare the formal document and return it for signatures and formal adoption.
The amendment affects property owners considering on-site storage alternatives and the county’s residential appearance standards; the board’s carve-outs reflect local concerns about riverfront character and existing HOAs. Staff will return with the revised draft ordinance and maps showing the excluded areas.
