All shipping container houses are not built equally, a Squamish councillor says.
On May 20, at a District of Squamish council meeting, regulations regarding the use of shipping containers were separated out from a zoning omnibus bill. The bill contained more than 80 zoning bylaw amendments. Since its introduction to council, controversial subject matter, such as chickens and banning new drive-throughs in Squamish, were separated from the package.
The same treatment was required for details surrounding the use of shipping containers as homes and storage facilities, Coun. Doug Race said, comparing the giant bill to that of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s 2012 budget.
“You lose things in it,” he told The Chief. “If you are going to have these house-keeping amendments, that’s fine, put the non-contentious issues in. But not the ones you know people are talking about.”
The proposed bylaw sets out to define shipping container and temporary buildings, while establishing regulations for their use. The change would allow shipping containers to be used for dwelling purposes as long as they meet the province’s building code. It also enabled the containers to be used as accessory buildings if they meet B.C. Building Code requirements.
Shipping containers used as housing have become all the rave, Race acknowledged. But not all will end up looking like they belong in Dwell magazine, he said. The municipality has no say over housing design in a residential neighbourhood, Race added.
“We can’t legislate style,” Race said.
As long as the containers meet the B.C. Building Code they could start popping up in backyards and used to store lawnmowers, Race added. Along the same vein, permanent storage containers currently being used to house equipment will need to be upgraded to meet those regulations.
“This poses a bit of a concern for some of the voluntary groups,” Race said, noting the municipality’s bylaw cannot contain regulations that contravene the building code.
A number of flashed-point issues, such as urban chickens, have overshadowed the container debate, Coun. Bryan Raiser said. However, it’s an issue that needs to go to the public, he said.
“There are thousands of them in town,” Raiser noted. “[The topic] kind of got lost.”
The biggest issue Raiser foresees is defining building use and storage use. B.C. Building Code requires any permanent structure to meet its requirements, which includes storage containers. No date has been set for the return of the topic to council.
