Panel recommends ban on shipping-container homes, businesses

A divided Cape Girardeau Planning and Zoning Commission narrowly voted Wednesday to recommend the city council ban the use of shipping containers as building materials for homes or businesses.

Commissioners, however, recommended shipping containers could be used for public storage in commercial and industrial zones with a council-approved special-use permit.

City planner Ryan Shrimplin told the commission there likely would be few such special-use permit requests.

Shrimplin said the commission’s recommendation could be presented to the city council as early as Monday’s meeting.

The council last month imposed a 90-day moratorium on issuing building permits for shipping-container homes or businesses.

The moratorium was approved despite objections from developer Quinn Strong who seeks to use a dozen shipping containers to construct a 3,400-square-foot duplex at Washington and Middle streets.

The city does not have any regulations governing such structures, officials have said.

Shrimplin said after the commission meeting any decision to ban such structures would not apply to Strong’s proposed development.

Commission chairman Trae Bertrand and members Larry Dowdy, Doug Spooler and Kevin Greaser voted for the ban.

Board members Patrick Koetting, Thomas Welch and Scott McClanahan opposed the blanket ban.

Two other commission members were absent.

Greaser said, “It is obvious that these types of structures are becoming a little more popular.” But he said a number of cities have banned or regulated such structures.

“At the end of the day, I certainly would not want a container home next to my house,” he said.

Bertrand agreed.

“I personally don’t feel it is aesthetically pleasing,” he said.

He also said it would be more difficult to demolish shipping-container structures if they became rundown.

Welch, who did not vote for the ban, said he was concerned about lead-based paint on the exterior of metal shipping containers.

“You have to sandblast the paint off,” he said.

Koetting said he has been a “longtime fan of this type of architecture.” But he said there are “a lot of hurdles to this type of architecture.”

McClanahan said shipping-container structures are more common on the East and West coasts.

“Most of them are used in high-end architecture style,” he said.

“I hate to see us close the door on every application in town,” he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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