City's latest shipping-container plan draws criticism; three officials want outright ban

A plan to regulate shipping containers through special-use permits has drawn criticism from some members of the Cape Girardeau City Council, including the mayor.

Mayor Harry Rediger, Ward 4 Councilman Robbie Guard and Ward 5 Councilman Bob Fox said Friday they want to bar construction of dwellings using metal shipping containers as building materials and not leave open any possibility of such projects in the city.

The council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on a measure today that would require developers to obtain special-use permits except if they are using shipping containers for temporary storage.

But Fox, who opposes the use of shipping containers for dwellings or businesses, said the council could send the matter back to Cape Girardeau's planning and zoning commission or push back a vote on the matter until a later meeting.

Fox said the proposal as drafted by city staff "opens up a whole can of worms" because it would require council action each time a developer seeks to use shipping containers as building materials.

Cape Girardeau's planning and zoning commission recommended the measure at its August meeting, city planner Ryan Shrimplin said.

The commission action came after months of discussion and a series of votes on varying proposals to address the issue.

Planning commissioners narrowly voted in May to recommend a permanent ban on use of such containers for homes or businesses.

But since then, the advisory board has moved away from that approach.

Shrimplin said Friday a majority of commissioners favor allowing the use of shipping containers as dwellings or businesses with council approval of special-use permits.

The measure would give the public the right to place shipping containers on property in any zoning district and use them for storage for up to 12 months.

Special-use permits for such storage units would be needed for periods longer than a year except in the case of construction sites where such containers could be used until the project is completed, Shrimplin said.

Existing containers in place now would be grandfathered in, he added.

Construction of homes or businesses out of shipping containers would require special-use permits that would be decided by the council on a case-by-case basis, Shrimplin said.

The special-use process would require the council to hold a public hearing on any such proposed development. Shrimplin said it would allow neighbors to voice their views before the council.

Shrimplin said the city requires such permits and council action where there is "potential to have an adverse impact on surrounding properties."

He added, "I think it is a responsible and fair piece of legislation."

Developer Quinn Strong said the measure amounts to a ban on use of shipping containers for construction of homes and businesses.

"They are trying to make it look like they are not banning them, but essentially you are," Strong said.

According to Strong, developers would not want to spend $25,000 to $30,000 on engineering work for a proposed project with no assurance the council will approve it.

Strong is moving ahead with plans to build a 3,400-square-foot duplex in Cape Girardeau using a dozen shipping containers. But that project was in the works before the council issued a 90-day moratorium in April on such projects.

The moratorium later was extended as city staff and the planning commission continued to discuss how best to regulate the use of shipping containers.

Earlier this year, Strong decried the opposition of city officials to the use of such containers. He said shipping containers have been used successfully in construction of buildings elsewhere in the nation.

Guard opposes such construction. He said the use of shipping containers as storage units is "the only thing I wouldn't have a problem with."

Rediger said he wants to bar use of shipping containers for dwellings entirely rather than enact a measure that leaves a possibility a project could receive council approval.

"I don't want the wiggle room in there," he said.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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