Students from Illinois College presented a proposal at the Jacksonville City Council workshop to test a transitional housing project made from recycled shipping containers on a sample site on Lynette Lane.

The project team, led in the meeting by student Andrew Masham, said Engineering 151 used the Design for America process and surveyed roughly 26 college respondents who reported regular observations of people who are unhoused in Jacksonville. "Homelessness has been an issue around the world," Masham said as he described the class effort to identify a local, deployable solution.

Masham told the council the team reviewed options including remodeling and tiny homes but prioritized shipping-container units because they can be delivered largely turnkey. He said vendor pricing reviewed with Benton Engineering showed a retail price near $22,900 per container and a likely bulk price around $18,900. He summarized the site-level cost estimate prepared with Benton Engineering as roughly $184,000 for (site/construction) work, $44,000 for sewer services and $46,000 in non-construction costs — a combined figure the team cited as about $274,000 — plus an estimated electrical cost near $8,000 per unit.

The students proposed a "medium barrier" model for Lynette Lane that would require sobriety and participation in an exit plan, and described on-site amenities (green space, a dog park, loading dock for donations) and use of the existing Samuel Holmes building for on-site management. Masham said the site would need rezoning and that a private owner or developer would be expected to buy and develop the property, submit a layout to the city for approval, and manage phased installation of container units.

City staff clarified during Q&A that the city's likely role would be limited to zoning approval and permitting. When an alderman asked who would fund the project, Dr. Charles Riggs said the model assumes an owner/developer would acquire and contract the work rather than the city buying the property. "The city's only involvement should just be anything to do with zoning," Riggs said.

The presentation closed with Masham offering to answer follow-up questions. No formal council action was taken at the workshop; the presentation was informational and identified rezoning and developer selection as the next practical steps.