Old Town concept: shipping-container ‘sluice box’ pitched; commission offers practical design and landscaping advice

A small developer team presented a concept for a shipping-container-based project (the “sluice box”) at 250 Washington Street in Old Town. The design concept uses stacked and arranged shipping containers with a covered roof structure to create an activated, shaded public space and vendor area with openings facing Washington Street.

Presenter Brad Rotor said the team has adjusted the layout to increase frontage along Washington Street and added a covered shade structure following earlier feedback. He described the effort as an incremental, low-budget process while the team pursues funding and said they will engage licensed architects and civil engineers when the project reaches a higher level of design.

Commissioners generally reacted positively to the concept in this industrial-adjacent location, noting the project’s compatibility with the nearby railroad bridge context. They emphasized design items that will be needed for formal plans: durable cladding/finishes that age well, drought-tolerant low-maintenance landscaping (gabion walls / decomposed granite was suggested as robust options), clear grading and civil information to manage a roughly 2-foot grade differential across the 100-foot site and licensed professional stamps on future submittals.

Next steps: Applicant will refine the concept, secure funding and provide detailed graded/civil plans and licensed professional documents when prepared; staff encouraged modest, resilient landscaping and materials in a public setting.