Brookhaven Council extends moratorium on adding portable buildings

Brookhaven Council extends moratorium on adding portable buildings

Posted at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, October 10, 2022

The moratorium on new portable buildings within the city limits of Brookhaven has been extended.

The pause to allow the addition of structures was enacted on July 5, 2022 by the College of Aldermen to consider proposed amendments to Ordinance 208, adding portable buildings to the existing law on pre-engineered buildings in commercial districts .

“You can extend the moratorium on portable buildings; do nothing—which would be the old order; or rule out using them as offices,” City Inspector David Fearn told council on Tuesday.

Alderman General Don Underwood has offered to extend the moratorium “until we can do better” by finding a good solution. The council accepted unanimously.

Manufactured buildings are currently prohibited in the central business district (C-2) and are only permitted under a special provision in zones zoned C-1 and C-3.

A pre-engineered building is defined in the ordinance as “a factory-built structure on a non-removable steel frame designed for use with or without a foundation and capable of being pulled by a motor vehicle on its own wheels”.

If the ordinance is passed by council as proposed, the definition of portable building will be included as “a structure built in a factory and transported to the site on truck beds and permanently attached to a permanent wall foundation of chain of bricks or concrete blocks”.

The ordinance now allows manufactured buildings to be used for a business or office only “as a special exception after review by council of adjustments with final approval by the council of aldermen”. The proposed and updated ordinance would add: “No portable building may be used as a business or office within the city limits.”

The proposed ordinance also adds portable buildings to the restrictions on manufactured buildings, specifically that they are prohibited in the C-2 central business district, and cannot be permanently located on an existing parking lot or paved area. , or placed closer to the right of- although the majority of the existing structures close by.

In other cases counsel:

• Approved the hiring of Randi Burgess as Clerk of the Municipal Court at $40,310.40 per year, pending drug test and physical exam.

• Approved salary increase for Heath Haas Jr. from the Fire Department from $28,646.50 to $34,562.14 to become a certified firefighter, upon graduating from the State Fire Academy.

• Approved the termination of Derek Bethley from the Police Department, for cause, effective September 21, 2022.

• Approved the acceptance of Nicholas Blue’s resignation from Street Service, effective September 20, 2022.

• Approved the acceptance of the resignation of Lanesha Brady as Police Department Dispatcher, effective October 4, 2022.

• Approved to advertise mosquito control proposals for the City; the current contract expires in December 2022.

• Approved to remove a 2017 Ford Explorer from unmarked status in GDP inventory.

Marjorie N. McClure