Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Planning And Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council approves permit for four shipping containers at East Liberty storage site
Summary
City staff recommended and the council approved an additional use permit allowing four shipping containers to be placed and used as commercial storage at 5550 East Liberty Street, with conditions reflecting an amended location to reduce visibility from the highway and staff assurances about appearance and enforcement.
City Council on July 13 approved an additional use permit allowing four shipping containers to be placed and used as commercial storage at 5550 East Liberty Street.
Staff told the council the applicant, Michael Hellwig, requested the permit to place four containers and operate them as commercial storage. Planning and Zoning recommended an amended placement adjacent to the site’s southern property line so the containers would be less visible from the highway. A staff presenter summarized the request as “a request from Michael Hellwig for an additional use to place 4 shipping containers on his property out on East Liberty Street.”
Council members pressed staff on appearance, placement and whether the containers would be used by the owner or rented to the public. One councilmember asked whether the code addresses uniform appearance; staff replied the city has no shipping-container–specific appearance standard but that containers would be governed by the same property-maintenance and accessory-structure rules that apply to other on-site buildings. Staff said the applicant provided photos showing “almost brand new looking shipping containers” with clean paint.
On taxation and use, staff said containers are often treated as personal property rather than real estate and noted the city reviews any nonresidential container use through the additional use permit process. After discussion, a councilmember moved to approve the permit; the motion passed by the council’s voice/roll call proceedings.
The permit approval follows the Planning and Zoning Commission’s amended recommendation limiting placement to the rear/southern boundary of the parcel so visibility from the highway is minimized. Council members said staff would enforce applicable property-maintenance requirements and noted the council could revisit municipal code language if more specific standards for containers were desired.
The council closed the public hearing on the request and moved on to other agenda items.
