Schaumburg to keep permit requirement for portable storage units
In a change of course, Schaumburg trustees voted unanimously this week to retain the village's permit requirement for portable storage units on residential property, following a recent recommendation to that effect by the zoning board of appeals.
Before the pandemic disrupted scheduled hearings on the issue, trustees in March seemed poised to drop the permit requirement, but not any of the other regulations established in 2012 for portable storage units.
But zoning board members believed keeping the permit requirement would help inform neighbors and assist the village with enforcement when the use of the temporary units is anticipated, Community Development Director Julie Fitzgerald said.
Trustees ultimately agreed.
The staff recommendation last winter was based on the relatively small number of permits issued and a history of compliance with all the other rules governing the use of the storage units, including a 45-day time limit.
Back in March, there had been a total of 316 permits issued over eight years. During that period, only 22 households had requested extensions beyond 45 days.
Trustees agreed in February to drop the permit requirement for garage sales, but showed this week that they are unwilling to make that a trend.
"I think it's going to depend upon which (permits)," Mayor Tom Dailly said.
If permits had been dropped for the storage units, the plan was to enforce the other rules based on neighbor complaints. Those other rules include not exceeding a size of 16-by-8-feet, being placed on a paved surface, not encroaching on other public or private property, and having written permission from everyone it would affect in a common parking lot.
Also remaining the same are the rules for storage units on nonresidential property. They are allowed only for construction projects and must be removed within 30 days of completing such projects.