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.