Town puts hold on storage containers

The Grafton Town Board last week agreed to issue a six-month moratorium on the use and storage of shipping containers.

Town supervisors on Wednesday, Aug. 14, voted unanimously to temporarily prevent new applicants from using shipping containers for building homes, residential storage and business purposes.

Town Chairman Lester Bartel said storage containers are allowable building materials in the town code, but the code also states semi-trailers cannot be used for storage.

“The shipping container is the redheaded stepchild of a semi-trailer,” Bartel said.

The issue has been discussed at town meetings several times over the past few months with a focus on how people are using shipping containers, but no action was taken.

Bartel said the town has received an application from a business seeking to use approximately 60 storage containers to build pet houses in the town.

Bartel said the business would not be able to come forward with its proposal during the moratorium nor would any other new applicants seeking to use shipping containers for other purposes.

“I think Grafton could become the next dumping ground for shipping containers,” he said.

Bartel also said shipping containers have a shelf life similar to railway cars, that requires them to become scrap material after a certain period. The Town Board has directed staff and the Plan Commission to research the use of containers in other municipalities to determine appropriate uses in the town.

“Whether we allow them or we don’t, we don’t have a provision for them and we have to clarify our code,” Bartel said. “The discussion has to happen and it could proliferate pretty fast.”

A home on Green Bay Road is currently being built with shipping containers, but Bartel said it will not be impacted by the board’s decision.

“That place is not an issue. But if someone buys a vacant property in a densely populated area, there can be quite an uproar,” Bartel said. 

Officials said the town has not received any complaints about the house on Green Bay Road.

The owners of the property, Amy and Kevin Plato, told Ozaukee Press they decided to build a home with shipping containers because of its modern and industrial feel. The Platos said the house has been well received by neighbors.

The home is being built by Justin Kuehl of Appleton-based Factotum Fabricor, which has built several storage-container homes in the Appleton area, Door County and Green Bay. He said the trend is growing nation-wide. 

If the Town Board reaches a decision on shipping containers and agrees on a new ordinance before the six-month timeframe, the moratorium can end early. It also can be extended if more time is needed for consideration, Bartel said. 

“It’s one of those things if you get ahead of it, it may not be a problem. If you get behind it, it could be a big problem,” Bartel said.