Parksville city council asked staff to prepare a zoning and development bylaw amendment to clarify the use of storage containers in the city.
Metal shipping containers are currently prohibited except for temporary use during construction and for storage of emergency supplies on institutional zoned land.
A report from staff points out that different types of portable storage containers are becoming more common and are not clearly dealt with by any city bylaw. They were prohibited due to aesthetic and safety concerns, but that also covers the industrial park, despite “shipping yard” and “transportation terminal” being permitted uses.
The report says that a continued prohibition probably makes sense on commercial properties which tend to be higher visibility.
The report discusses the increasingly common use of portable storage units when people or businesses relocate and “there does not typically appear to be any issues when this type of container is used as intended.”