Effingham approves zoning ordinance for intermodal containers
Aug. 23—EFFINGHAM — Effingham City Council unanimously approved amending the zoning ordinance to regulate intermodal shipping containers.
Effingham City Engineer Luke Thoele presented the council the zoning change, which had been reviewed and endorsed 5-1 by the plan commission.
"Today, any shipping containers are not addressed in our code and the way we interpret that is ... they are not allowed," Thoele said. "As the years have gone on, they have become a little more prevalent and the staff thought there were some situations where they could be allowed in."
He said semitrailers (without wheels) and box truck bodies are not allowed for storage and intermodal shipping containers are allowed in non-residential areas as accessory buildings. Intermodal shipping containers would be allowed on a temporary basis in a residential area for a maximum of 14 days for moving purposes or a construction project.
"The next steps would be looking for compliance from owners. So if they had something that is not allowed, they have until Dec. 31, 2023, to come into compliance or remove them," said Thoele.
He said no one testified before the plan commission in opposition of the amendment. However, Mark Thies was the only member of the plan commission who objected to the use of intermodal containers in a residential area with the exception of moving pods.
"Who is going to monitor the amount of time those pods are in a neighborhood, because that is a concern. Nobody wants to see a pod siting in the neighborhood for months," said Mayor Mike Schutzbach.
"That will be a combination effort depending upon what the violation was, but primarily the building official's office," said Thoele. "Neighbors will help in the enforcement of that."
In other business, the council:
* Granted a special-use permit allowing intermodal containers to be used as miniwarehouses for Fritz Krampe Enterprises LLC at 806 South Vine Street.
* Accepted a proposal from Sandschafer Electric Inc. in the amount of $20,000 for the Neptune Gateway Project that includes the installation of new equipment that can read and transfer data from city water meters.
Adopted a resolution giving Flex-N-Gate a six-month extension for work they are doing on their building.
* Approved its part of a three-way joint ordinance to amend the boundary of the City of Effingham/Effingham County Enterprise Zone to annex four parcels (5.25 acres) of property along Route 45 (North Third Street) just north of the Grunloh Building offices at 900 North Third Street. EL Holdings LLC made the request to construct a 6,300-square-foot commercial building, make improvements to existing buildings, and improve infrastructure on the four parcels of land. Members of the Effingham County Board and the Teutopolis Village Board have also approved the ordinance. An application will now be sent to the State of Illinois for final approval.
Charles Mills can be reached at charles.mills@effinghamdailynews.com or by phone at 618-510-9226 or 217-347-7151 ext. 300126.
