Bessemer commission discusses shipping container storage

By P.J. GLISSON

[email protected]

Bessemer - Although no action was taken, members of the Bessemer planning commission discussed at their Tuesday evening meeting a new trend in using shipping containers for storage.

City manager Charly Loper said one Bessemer resident whom she did not identify already has ordered containers for that purpose and asked commission members if they had any concerns.

"I think so," said chairman Dave Osier. "That's going to be a heck of an eyesore if we have them all over the place."

"Another problem is it's not a built structure, so we don't get taxes from it," said Loper, who added that the resident ordering the containers will not be breaking any current ordinance by using them.

Terry Kryshak, the commission's city council representative, said the commission probably should work on finding a better model before such use becomes common here.

Reported use of shipping containers in other regions suggests both positive and negative aspects.

On one hand, a May 24, 2017 article in the Detroit News stated the increasing use of shipping containers is contributing to that city's recent growth. The article adds the containers there have been used for greenhouses, homes, artistic projects, company offices, restaurants, global tech hubs, and tourist attractions such as one remodeled container now offering a viewing window to the Detroit River.

By contrast, premiershippingcontainers.com notes some of the "myths" involved with using the containers and cautions that people approach their use only with proper permits and knowledge of the challenges involved.

That site claims the containers are touted as a "green" recycling choice, but said the whole truth is that older containers often are shunned in favor of nice new containers. It also warns that the containers might pose logistical issues in, as just one example, connecting utility needs.

In other news, commission members also voted to cancel their next regularly scheduled meeting on Dec. 14 and instead participate in a Dec. 10 meeting that will combine members of the city council, planning commission, downtown development authority, and parks and recreation commission.

Loper said the combined meeting is a requirement of the city's newly-acquired state status as a redevelopment-ready community, and members immediately expressed approval.

"It's a really good idea," said Louis Miskovich, with Kryshak agreeing. Osier added that such a policy will help prevent members of all entities from "stepping on each other's toes."

The commission also:

-Voted to approve the annual report of the planning commission, as presented by Loper, who said the compilation will be helpful in the joint meeting.

-Voted to drop the currently proposed lighting ordinance and continue to pursue other options.

-Noted an article that claimed more jobs are not necessarily created when cities subsidize large firms in hopes of boosting economic development. Loper provided the article, which also states that economic incentives for smaller firms, by contrast, do boost job growth. Based on an as-yet unpublished academic study, the article was published on Aug. 29 by the New Orleans Business Alliance for Economic Development.

Members Bill McDonald and Kevin Nyquist were absent from Tuesday's meeting.