Springdale's off-road vehicle shop Highlift Offroad faces a July 28 public hearing on its request to keep two oversized yellow shipping containers permanently at 271 Northland Blvd., and city staff is urging the Board of Zoning Appeals to say no.

Owner Michael Bailey filed for two variances: one to allow the containers to stay year-round, and another to exceed the city's 1,200-cubic-foot interior limit for portable storage units. Under Springdale's zoning code, such containers are allowed only as temporary uses for no more than 30 days in a one-year period.

The containers have sat on the property without city approval since 2022, according to aerial imagery reviewed in the staff report prepared by Chief Building Official Melissa Hays.

Hays wrote in the report that granting the variances "would confer on the owner a special privilege, as shipping containers of this size are not permitted in the city." Staff also found the containers, placed in the front yard area, would not be compatible with the existing building and could alter the character of the neighborhood.

The 0.26-acre lot sits in the Support Services zoning district and has double frontage on both Northland Boulevard and Landan Lane. Staff acknowledged that the double frontage severely limits where Bailey could place a detached accessory structure, but said the storage problem could be solved by adding onto the existing building instead.

This is not Highlift Offroad's first trip before the BZA. In August 2025, the board voted 7-0 to approve two fence-related variances for the same property, allowing a chain-link fence with visual slats to project past the front building line. Bailey also appeared before the Springdale Planning Commission on July 14 seeking approval for an asphalt expansion at the site.

A July 2 letter from Hays to Bailey noted additional outstanding zoning violations on the property, including outdoor storage of vehicles beyond the shipping containers.

Highlift Offroad, which relocated to Springdale in 2016, specializes in Jeep, truck, and Bronco maintenance, performance upgrades, and fabrication.

The public hearing begins at 7 p.m. July 28 in the Council Chambers at the Springdale Municipal Building, 11700 Springfield Pike. Residents may attend and testify. The next BZA meeting is scheduled for August 25.