Business owner says town misapplied storage-unit rule; council schedules work session on shipping-container ordinance

Chris Sandy, owner of Bill Wright Supply, told the Town of Nashville council on Sept. 17 that his business received notices ordering the removal of on-site shipping-container displays and said the notices cite an inapplicable ordinance. "These are not storage units," Sandy said. "They're shipping container displays." He said the notices, citing Section 18-1-11 (temporary use of storage units), scared a dealer away and will force his business to incur moving costs.

Town staff told council that the dispute arose from differing interpretations of the town's land-use ordinance. Sandy said staff advised him to seek a court injunction to resolve whether shipping containers fall under the storage-unit rule. "I was instructed that my best course of action . . . is to file an injunction," he said.

Council did not take formal enforcement action at the meeting. Instead, staff proposed a work session to review a proposed shipping-container ordinance and answer council questions; the council discussed dates and settled on Wednesday, Oct. 8, at 9:15 a.m. as the work-session time. Staff said the session would be open to the public and requested consultant Michael Harvey be available to attend. The council did not take a formal vote on enforcement during the public-comment period.

The issue remains at the discussion stage: Sandy urged clarity on how the ordinance is applied, and staff will present the proposed ordinance at the Oct. 8 work session. The council did not set a compliance deadline for existing displays during the Sept. 17 meeting.