A resolution urging Mayor Kirk Caldwell to develop a demonstration project exploring the viability of shipping containers for low-cost housing won a nod from the City Council Public Health, Safety and Welfare Committee on Tuesday.

Caldwell already has announced his eagerness to work with Council members and housing advocates.

But several entrepreneurs from the portable-housing field called on Council members to consider other types of affordable-housing ideas such as modular homes.

Caldwell announced last week that he is ready to work with Faith Action for Community Equity and Council members on various affordable options, including refurbished shipping containers, possibly in conjunction with a move toward allowing more accessory dwelling units.

Resolution 15-17 would allow the administration to undertake an experimental and demonstration project using shipping containers as homes. The request would allow the city to waive land use and building approval processes typically required of homebuilders.

The resolution also calls for the administration to submit to the Council by May 1 a list of potential sites for the project.

City Planning and Permitting Director George Atta said he has already spoken to several organizations and individuals about using shipping containers as homes.

Current land use laws allow for homes made from the containers, provided they contain proper insulation, window openings and other basic housing criteria, Atta said. The "metal fatigue" of used containers also comes into play, he said.

"A number of things need to be checked out before we can say, ‘This is a proper use of a shipping container,’" Atta said, "but the potential is there."

John Rogers, owner of Affordable Portable Housing, has been building homes from shipping containers and other, similar materials primarily on Hawaii island. Rogers said modular homes are "more cost-effective" and faster because they are more flexible.

A typical 40-foot container, which has about 320 square feet of space, can be done for about $32,000, including plumbing and electrical work, Rogers said.

Craig Chapman, owner of Small Homes Hawaii, said he also prefers modular homes, which are lighter and often used as disaster-relief housing. "Think of a can without the walls on it. … That’s what I’ve got," Chapman said. "All of our poles tip up, then bolt in; they bolt high. They have the same strength as a can."

Regardless of what materials are used, Chapman contends a demonstration project is a good path to take because it will allow neighbors and others in the community to accept them as properly maintained and visibly pleasing. "This is something that is really sorely needed," he said.

Councilman Ron Menor, chairman of the Public Health, Safety and Welfare Committee, said shipping container housing is just one affordable-housing option the city should look into. "I just want to see something get off the ground," he said.

Housing officials estimate Hawaii will need 24,000 homes to meet with demand in the next 15 years, and that 75 percent of them need to be in the "affordable" category.