The attempt to regulate the use of cargo containers dates back to 2012, when Councilor David Schanzenbaker and Mayor Don Volger (who at that time was only a councilor) joined Bobby Hart and Cameron Parker from the planning commission to form a subcommittee. This group spent months researching how cargo containers were dealt with in other communities and then drafting a set of rules they felt were appropriate for the Town of Pagosa Springs.
However, when the ordinance finally came back to town council, Councilor Darrel Cotton was its most vocal opponent, arguing that it was not appropriate for the government to dictate what a private citizen could or could not do on his or her own property, especially when such restrictions were based on concerns about aesthetics.
At that time, town council voted to reject the ordinance, but the issue of cargo containers hasn’t died, appearing on the agendas for several planning commission and town council meetings since then.
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