Melrose Council Sends Temporary Storage Ordinance Back for Revision

MELROSE — August 16, 2018 — Melrose's temporary storage container ordinance heads back to the Planning Commission after council debate over limits and screening. The Melrose City Council on August 16 declined to adopt a draft ordinance regulating cargo containers, portable storage pods, and semi-trailers on commercial and industrial properties, instead returning it to the Planning Commission with new guidance: four cargo containers would be permitted in commercial C2 zones, with an interim use permit required for any number above that threshold; existing non-compliant units on the ground as of August 16, 2018, would be grandfathered until January 1, 2020. City Planner Lisa identified at least two commercial properties — Melrose One Stop with four units and a second property with three — that would have difficulty meeting a stricter two-container cap the Planning Commission had originally recommended. The council also unanimously approved a rezoning and comprehensive plan amendment converting two residential lots adjacent to Coburn's Incorporated from R1 to C1 downtown commercial to allow 14 additional parking spaces, and accepted pay voucher No. 3 on the First Street NE improvement project totaling $269,921.72, with the overall project tracking $20,000 to $30,000 under bid.