Prospect Hts. approves storage container rules

If you're remodeling your Prospect Heights home and using portable storage containers in your yard to keep furnishings safe while work is under way, the city council is giving you a time limit.

In a 4-1 vote this week, aldermen changed the city code so that containers can't be used for more than 60 consecutive days in a year.

The ordinance also limits the containers' size, which can't exceed 8 feet in width, 8 feet in height and 16 feet in length.

They must be placed entirely on private property -- on a solid surface or gravel.

Also, containers can't be put in any easement or within five feet of any lot line.

It's also required that they be as close to the principle dwelling or detached garage as possible.

Containers must be constructed of steel, fiberglass or otherwise durable material, and must be fully enclosed, weather tight and capable of being locked.

The reason for the change had to do with complaints the city got from people who said their neighbors' containers were out for an extended time, village officials said.

Alderman Dolly Vole was the only dissenting vote, saying many Prospect Heights residents have half-acre lots, so storage containers would not generally be overbearing upon neighbors.

The new law could also makes it difficult for residents who are moving in or out of the city, she said.

"This restriction is not needed in the city," Vole said.

Alderman John Styler called the ordinance reasonable, adding residents can petition the city for more time if needed.

"I see no objection to anything like that," Styler said. "We are clarifying the use (of the containers), and that's all it boils down to."