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The City of Springfield Planning Department met with the public last night to talk about concerns regarding the placement of storage trailers and containers. KSMU’s Chasity Mayes was there and tells us how the city is proposing to end a battle that has lasted over seven years.
Most people have seen the large bulky metal containers used by both homes and businesses for temporary storage. The city originally had requirements for storage trailers and containers in 2000, but after seven years of non-compliance issues those requirements were re-evaluated in 2007. After that, controversy over the new rules led to an administrative delay on enforcing the existing requirements until September of 2011.
Springfield’s Director of Planning is Ralph Rognstadt.
“That’s one thing that is very important to understand: there are existing requirements on the books. Sometimes we’ll get comments [saying] why don’t you just not do anything? But if we don’t do anything, at some point we need to go back to forcing those existing requirements.”
The meeting, which was primarily held to seek out questions and comments from the public, also discussed two separate amendments that include changes to both the fire code and the city’s zoning ordinances.
Changes being made to the fire code include adding definitions of storage trailers and storage containers. The planning department will also add the definition of a transfer facility trailer.
A few of the zoning ordinance amendments include that storage containers and trailers will be allowed in all districts subject to the fire code. They will require no permit or application fee.
City officials say the new regulations will be enforced on a complaint basis only.
This proposal will go before the city council’s Community Involvement Committee before it is sent on to be reviewed by the city council.
For more information you can visit our website: KSMU.org.
For KSMU News I’m Chasity Mayes.
