Proposed regulations governing portable storage containers in Wellington North have been put on hold pending further examination.
County planner Linda Redmond told council at its March 4 meeting consideration for regulations on storage containers would be removed from a bylaw being amended as part of a “housekeeping” process to update the township’s zoning bylaw.
The withdrawal comes after discussions with the township’s building and property committee. It was the third time the issue has been before council.
The storage issue came up at council on Jan. 28 and was met with some criticism.
“There is nothing to regulate where they go, what they’re used for,” she told council at the January meeting. “It’s a bit of a loophole and we’re finding that (containers) has become a standard use around the county.”
The containers, according to the planner, don’t meet current building code standards.
The regulations were criticized by contractor Al Sharpe whose son Ryan operates Sligo Road Mini Storage at the corner of Sligo Road and Foster Street in Mount Forest. He was concerned the storage business would face a zoning amendment charge of $1,500 if the regulations were changed. The issue was also criticized by township resident Gerald Shepetunko at the January meeting.
He felt the containers didn’t represent a safety hazard.
“These items exist within the township, in numbers. They are primarily used outside the urban centres as a cost-effective, safe and secure means of storage of a variety of good,” Shepetunko, a member of the township economic development committee, wrote in a letter to council.
