Long Beach Residents Rally Against Backyard Cargo Containers
LONG BEACH (CBS) — "They make us look like Wilmington!"
KNX 1070's Ed Mertz reports that's the general reaction from residents on San Francisco Avenue near Hill Street as a homeowner adds on to their property by using two shipping containers.
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Despite some initial questions upon first hearing about the project they had questions, there was a moderate level of support among neighbors, particularly over its environmental impact.
"We thought reuse of containers was wonderful," said one local homeowner.
The residents also say they expected the sides of the steel cargo containers would be covered up in stucco once they were installed.
Instead, the bright yellow shipping containers remain exposed.
The Long Beach Planning Commission recently voted 4 to 3 to change the code that prohibited metal roofs and siding, paving the way for anyone in the city to use shipping containers for building or remodeling a home pending a review.
But residents say those approving the plans have a chance now to review the potential impact.
One homeowner says he "invited the commission to please come stand where we're standing right now, and tell me that isn't a metal building and a blighted impact on the city of Long Beach".
"If everybody had one of these in their backyard," he says, "we would look just like what that section of the law is trying to avoid."
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