TREASURE ISLAND — Residents and business owners who have taken advantage of the lack of rules and regulations for placing temporary storage units on their property should beware.
City commissioners are considering an ordinance that would restrict the length of containers and how long and how often they can remain on property with or without a building permit.
Paula Cohen, Community Improvement director, said there has been concern about storage units placed on property for long amounts of time.
"Residents feel they distract from the aesthetic quality of their neighborhoods," she said. "Right now we do have people who have storage units for very, very long periods of time."
The local planning agency, which is suggesting the changes, wanted to make sure storage units would not create a visibility problem for motorists but, at the same time, allow residents and business owners to have a unit for a few days to load and unload items, Cohen said.
Under a proposed ordinance, storage units not being used in conjunction with a building permit could be up to 16 feet long and allowed on property for up to 10 consecutive days but not more than three times a year.
Storage units used along with a permit would have to be removed before the permit expires.
Units can be placed in driveways, approved parking areas or building portions of lots but not in streets, alleys or rights of way.
Dennis Fagan, chairman of the Treasure Island-Madeira Beach Chamber of Commerce and former planning and zoning board member, said he definitely thinks the city needs some regulations on storage units.
"Sometimes people have used them as a storage shed on their property," he said.
The allowable length of storage units was questioned by Commissioner Patrick Jeffares, who said he didn't want to add too much restriction when building is under way.
"When someone is building, their needs are greater," he said.
Cohen said there are now several condominiums in the city that use several 24-foot units on their property to change out furniture from condos.
The ordinance is expected to be up for discussion again Sept. 6 at its first public hearing.