Dan's Papers - July 11, 2008 - PODZILLA!! Portable Storage or Plague of Development?

Dear citizens of the Hamptons, please lock your doors and close the blinds. Stay indoors and shield your eyes. The PODS invasion has begun.

I'm sure you've seen these monsters: bulky and white with gaping holes for mouths that trap your storage items in their metallic teeth. They are most easily identified by large, red "PODS" brands tattooed on their shiny sides. So what is the problem with these Portable On Demand Storage units? It appears that many of them have refused their portable lifestyles and found permanent homes in the Hamptons. Nestling into grass lawns and front gardens, PODS have decided to extend their welcome - and residents are not happy about it.

Serena Seligman, an Amagansett native, has lived next to one of these storage demons for the past two years. Seligman's neighbor installed PODS on his property for storage. What Seligman thought would be a temporary fixture turned out to be a long-standing eyesore. "It's a small, pretty, residential street and to have this big white box on it really destroys the look of the street," said Seligman. She approached the owner of the PODS, who told her that the unit could remain as long as the owner renewed his building permit.

"Aren't there other storage alternatives?" Seligman wondered. And there are. Sheds are aesthetically pleasing storage units that serve the purpose without detracting from the street ambience. There are also all kinds of moving services that store unneeded objects in a safe place until they are summoned.

Seligman is not the only resident affected by the PODS epidemic. An East End homeowner, who wished to remain anonymous out of fear that PODS would attack her neighborhood, said that living next to a PODS unit is "a hair away from living next to a trailer park."

While unhappy residents voice their opinions about the PODS invasion, the town boards have their own stance on the junk-guzzling creatures. Donald Sharkey, East Hampton's chief building inspector, claimed PODS are just like any other structures that must follow the zoning laws for the town. "The PODS must meet the setback requirements from property lines and have a building permit. As long as it meets the setbacks, the PODS is perfectly legal."

John Woudsma, the Village of Sagaponack's building inspector, follows a different criterion when accessing a PODS' lifetime. "As long as they are kept on the owner's property, they are legal," Woudsma said. "However, I would consider the PODS a temporary structure, which means that there is a time limit on it." Upon being asked what that particular time limit is, Woudsma replied, "I would have to discuss it with the owner."

Seligman, who witnessed the PODS two-year stint next to her home, has her own ideas on PODS legislation. "There should be some kind of ordinance to make sure that the POD is a six-month thing," said Seligman, "The POD shouldn't be there forever."

And while the PODS' ugly face is a nuisance to Hampton residents, building legislators have their own opinions on the unit's facade. "I'm not the fashion police," Sharkey stated. Looks like East Hampton can run but not hide from the intruding PODS.

Mike Benincasa, Southampton's chief building inspector, said, "PODS are legal as long as they conform to the building code and meet the criteria for a residential storage shed. However, we wouldn't want the big red and white PODS advertisement on the side of it. It is kind of an eyesore."

So bolt the shutters and sleep with one eye open. And beware of the gaping, white jaws waiting to swallow your neighbor's junk and your street's decorum. Your house might be the next victim in the PODS invasion.