DAPHNE, Ala. — The Daphne City Council debated the revisions to the land use ordinance at Monday’s council work session.

Development Director Adrienne Jones presented changes to the Table of Uses in the Land Use Ordinance, and listed the three changes for the table proposed by the Planning Commission: removing by right for convenient stores in B-1, Local Business, zones and require planning commission approval; add bowling alleys to B-1 zones with planning commission approval; and add family entertainment centers in B-1 zones with planning commission approval.

Bowling alleys are currently allowed in B-2, General Business, zones without planning commission approval.

There is a developer that owns a property at the southwest corner of Lawson Road and County Road 13, zoned B-1, who wishes to build a bowling alley.

By altering the table of permitted uses and placing bowling alleys under the B-1 district instead of forcing the developer to re-zone the property B-2, it would allow the developer only to need site plan approval from the planning commission and not a re-zoning approval from the commission and council.

 One councilman said he doesn’t think the council should be kept out of the procedure for allowing a bowling alley.

“I know with the skating rink, they’re not good neighbors,” councilman John Lake said, referring to a business just off Main Street near the Daphne Public Library. “The skating rink never has tried to do anything with their noise.”

Lake contended there is a school right across the street from the location, which concerns him. Daphne High School is located along Lawson Road, right across from the property in question.

Councilman Bailey Yelding said he didn’t agree with Lake’s comments.

“If you’re going to not support it, find another way,” he said. “A school is a school.”

“Mr. Lake has been mentioning the skating rink,” Councilman Ron Scott said. “I don’t know if this project should be held hostage because of a poor choice of colors.”

When asked why the planning commission did not want the council part of the process for a bowling alley or family entertainment center being built, Jones stated politics was the reason.

“Don’t be offended by my answer, but the truth of the matter is to keep politics out,” Jones said. “(The commission’s) guide book is this ordinance.”

Lake responded that politics are an intricate part of democracy, and democracy allows the citizens to have a voice.

“When you take politics out of politics, then it’s not democracy at all,” Lake said. “The whole point of democracy is to allow people the opportunity to express their beliefs. When we get right down to it, we’re not talking about property. We’re talking about people’s homes.”

Jones then said that the commission was not trying to eliminate the ability for people to express their stance on a subject, and there is a time for public comments in planning commission meetings.

Jones said after the meeting that she has been working on the revisions to the Land Use ordinance for over two years.

The council will vote on when to hold a public hearing for the land use ordinance revisions at the next scheduled business meeting, which takes place today at 6:30 p.m. in City Hall.

The next planning commission meeting will be held Oct. 28 at 6 p.m. in City Hall.