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Council amends transitional-housing standard to allow intermodal containers amid sharp debate over safety and costs
Summary
Council approved a resolution to amend the city's adopted transitional housing standard to permit intermodal shipping containers as a type of transitional housing unit, a change tied to a contract contingency with Elk Island Trading Company; the vote was contested and prompted extensive public and council questioning about fire risk, insulation, heat, density and long-term durability.
The Grants Pass City Council considered and approved a resolution amending the city—s adopted transitional housing standard (Title 9) to add intermodal shipping containers (commonly called ConEx boxes) as an allowable type of transitional housing unit.
Bradley Clark, community development, said the change is linked to a grant/contract that the city awarded to Elk Island Trading Company for a proposed homeless shelter; that contract included a contingency requiring a text amendment to the city—s transitional-housing code so containerized units could be used "as soon as reasonably possible" unless the amendment would create an unreasonable risk to public health or safety. The amendment follows the state template for a local alternate standard and would: add a definition for intermodal shipping containers; revise the definition of a transitional housing unit (to allow attached units within a single container); adjust interior-finish restrictions to permit certain materials when approved by the Oregon structural specialty code; modify clear floor-space and insulation language to allow building-official discretion on R-values; and add construction options to achieve a roughly one-hour fire rating (5/8-inch Type X gypsum wall assemblies between abutting containers or a 6-foot separation).
Councilors and members of the public pressed staff on safety concerns. Questions focused on interior materials (cellular foam), fire spread (staff noted gypsum and building/fire-code oversight), occupant density (staff and critics cited configurations of up to four habitable rooms within a 40-foot container and expressed concerns about two people per 9'x8' room), heat and sheltering in extreme weather, and whether the code amendment permits the city to require safer design choices at plan review. Fire and building officials stated they would enforce applicable fire and plumbing codes and exercise building-official discretion where allowed in the amended language.
Several residents raised specific worries: Bob Maguire asked whether container units would essentially be mobile homes and whether they must be anchored; Rico/Bridal Brown asked about windows; Bonnie McDonald worried about fire containment and occupant safety in high-density placements. Council debate included references to other jurisdictions where container or modular projects encountered mold, heat, or durability problems; some councilors urged caution and voted no, while others said a code amendment with building-official and fire oversight provides an avenue to safely pursue transitional housing options.
Councilor Rick moved to adopt the resolution to amend the transitional housing standard to include intermodal containers; the motion received support and opposition during debate. The council recorded a divided vote; staff were given direction to proceed consistent with the recorded action.
The resolution changes the local code language to permit intermodal-container units under specified construction, insulation and separation conditions; it does not itself approve a specific shelter configuration or permit placement of a specific number of units on a site (site-level unit counts and plan review remain separate actions).
