Gulf Shores City Council approved the rezoning of two properties during the regular council meeting Oct. 25.

The first rezoning request was for a 1.99-acre parcel located at the corner of Northshore Street and Landward Drive, currently zoned residential. The applicant requested rezoning the property to general business.

The planning commission voted to recommend the approval with the condition the building height is limited to five stories and the Future Land Use Plan be revised to update the future land use to commercial/mixed use. The city council voted unanimously to approve the rezoning request.

The second rezoning request was made by the owners of The Sloop Restaurant located at 103 West Canal Drive. The applicant requested to apply the Waterway Village Overlay to the property so the property could be included in present and future festivals, fundraisers and community events and official marketing materials. The city council voted to unanimously approve the rezoning request.

2020 Annual Financial Report

The annual financial audit for 2020 was accepted by the city council and is available for review on gulfshoresal.gov.

The audit revealed that revenues exceeded expenditures by $12 million resulting in the 2020 year-end general fund balance of $51.7 million. The overage was used to pay down a line of credit used for Hurricane Sally related expenses and pay for 2021 transportation projects without using borrowed funds.

The city’s assets exceeded liabilities by $110 million and increased by $4.7 million from 2019 year-end numbers. Governmental revenues increased by $5.37 million to a total of $59 million. The increase came from federal and state grants for Federal Emergency Management Agency damage from Hurricane Sally and a decrease in state tax mainly for NRDA/Laguana Cove grant.

During the regular city council meeting, the city council:

• Approved a public assembly permit for the Abracadabra Festival to be held on the grounds of The Hangout Nov. 5-7.
• Approved the transferring of a liquor license from Tequila’s Mexican Restaurant to Cantina La Lux.
• Approved an intergovernmental service agreement with the Baldwin County Commission for the use of voting machines and the services of the county voting machine custodian and employees for municipal elections.
• Approved the transfer of the city’s event ticket vendor from Vendini to Audience View.

The city council approved the following board appointments:

• Reappointed Billy Adcock to the Gulf Shores Utilities Board
• Reappointed Robert Malone to the Public Education Building Authority
• Reappointed councilperson Philip Harris to the Library Board
• Reappointed councilperson Gary Sinak, Brooke Taylor, Rodney Powell and Parezetti Bauer to the Beautification Board
• Reappointed Ken McKenzie as administrative law judge
• Chad Green, chief financial officer of Gulf Shores City Schools replaces Gary Ellis on the Public Parks and Recreation Board
• Glen Kaiser selected to fulfill Sheila Hodges’ term on the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Tourism Board