BELLFLOWER : New Law Enforces Ban on Cargo Containers

A divided City Council has decided that metal cargo containers must be shipped out of town within three years, but the council did not close the door on them completely.

By a 3-2 vote Jan. 23, the council introduced a new law enforcing the city’s widely ignored ban against shipping containers.

The fate of the huge metal boxes, which are primarily used for storage, is far from settled, however. The council called for the Planning Commission to begin a new study in six months on whether the ban should be lifted. The panel studied the proposal last year and recommended keeping the ban.

Under the new ordinance, businesses and residents will be able to keep their cargo containers up to three years if they meet certain conditions, including being kept out of view from the street. Owners who fail to comply must get rid of the containers within 90 days.

The council previously set a one-year deadline for homeowners to remove shipping containers from their property, but ended up giving them the same three-year deadline as businesses.