Nancy Kern reports for Columbia-Greene Media that the Catskill Planning Board is proposing banning residents from converting shipping containers into dwellings. Some people across the world have converted one or more shipping containers into houses, saving on lumber and other costs. Catskill Town Supervisor Dale Finch said, “The proposed container law is a proactive approach to maintaining the aesthetics of the community and minimizing the negative effects they have on a community.... The proposed container law takes into consideration the different zoning districts, so different criteria will apply, depending on the district.” In 2021 Catskill had an incident with a shipping container, when the village of Catskill filed a lawsuit against a Liberty Street resident with a container in his backyard that was larger than the village code allowed. Catskill Town Justice Richard Paolino ruled for a bench trial or that the defendant would get the proper permits, or remove the container altogether. But the judge was upset weeks later when Village of Catskill officials told the resident he could keep the container on his property throughout construction. Paolino said, “I’m kind of like aggravated because the time wasted on this matter since June of this year.... All of a sudden now, because somebody doesn’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings, they’re going to change the law, but not really change the law, they’re just going to cover up the violations.” The story does not say when any vote on the matter is, nor mention any public hearing on the matter. Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.