Fabric buildings — when City Hall takes the fun out of life

Posted on September 25, 2012 in City Issues // 0 Comments

Not things of beauty, but they get the job done.

It goes without saying that the fabric-covered garages and storage tents that have proliferated throughout the city and region are not the most attractive of structures.

They’re economical, practical, and a bit of an eyesore. I’ve got two of them.

In the city, they sit, staked to the ground, keeping cars and lawn mowers and firewood out of the weather. Out in the boonies, they cover everything from farm equipment to hay.

They aren’t the sturdiest of shelters, but they’re a step up from tarps. In the wind, they flap and rattle around on their aluminum frames, and in a few years they have to be taken down or replaced.

I see by today’s Daily News that the City of Kamloops is cracking down on them. Neighbours in Brocklehurst have complained about them, and several homeowners have received notice that they’re breaking City bylaws, which prohibit fabric structures in residential areas.

While the City says it’s partly a safety issue, the real problem is one of looks. Nobody cares if one of these things is set up behind a fence in a back yard, but when they show up in a driveway or visible side yard, neighbours aren’t always impressed.

One can see the point. But is it really so wrong to use a cheap alternative to building an expensive wood-frame or steel building to protect your treasured “baby” or keep odds and ends out of the rain and out of sight? Must everyone take out an extra mortgage to give cover to the toys of life?

Cripes, City Hall already legislates everything from the colour and trim of buildings to whether people can burn wood in a fireplace and have a couple of chickens in their backyards.

Maybe our lawmakers should ease up a little and stop taking the fun out of everything.

PS: Though your typical storage tent costs only a few hundred dollars, there are upper-end varieties that will rival stick-built structures. In fact, early in the planning for the Tournament Capital Centre, a proposal was made that a steel and fabric design be considered.