Gulf Shores City Council voted to postpone a decision on instituting regulations surrounding the use and rental of e-bikes and plans to present a new proposal in January.

Regulations proposed in a presentation by Gulf Shores Police Chief Dan Netemeyer at council's Dec. 1 meeting mostly focused on safe and non-modified operation of e-bikes.

Restrictions were also proposed to be placed on rental companies, including an 18-and-up age requirement for renters and a 10-mph speed limit on bike functions. Five rental company owners spoke during the public comment period of the Dec. 1 meeting and said they already follow many of the proposed policies.

The proposed speed limit, however, posed a bigger issue rather than a solution, as heavier bikes require users to swerve to stay balanced at a speed below 10 mph. Rental company owners also said many e-trikes, which are designed to serve riders with mobility challenges, struggle to function at speeds slower than 15 mph.

Other proposed action included designating a dismount zone on both sides of Hwy. 59 from 2nd Avenue to Beach Boulevard (from Sunliner Diner and Crico's Pizza to The Hangout). In this zone, all wheeled modes of transportation, from e-bikes and bikes to skateboards and scooters, would be walked by users as the area has high pedestrian activity. ADA-compliant mobility devices were set to be exceptions to the dismount zone regulations.

Council was set to vote on this item at its Dec. 8 council meeting, but the vote was pushed to allow for more discussion, Mayor Robert Craft said.

"We weren't prepared and didn't have time at this meeting to add that to this agenda, so we've delayed that," he said on the vote for e-bike regulations. "We will be getting back together, starting with the information at the last meeting that we had together, then another program. We plan to present that in January."

TOWNHOME BUILDING CONDITIONS ALSO PUSHED

Another item presented at the Dec. 1 meeting to be voted on in January is amendments to townhome construction conditions within the city's general business (BG) and neighborhood business (BN) zoning districts.

For the proposed BG ordinance, the city would require a conditional use permit (CUP) for townhouses, which is defined by the city as a single-family, attached dwelling. BN's ordinance is set to require CUPs for multi-family dwellings and townhouses.

BG and BN currently allow construction of these types of residential buildings by right, which puts no conditions on builders.

With a CUP, the zoning ordinance details 14 factors of conditions examined prior to land use.

As previously reported by GCM, Gulf Shores Planning Director Scott Stephens said the zoning amendments were proposed to prevent these districts being filled only with townhomes, as they are set to be used as "buffer" zones or mixed-use areas between commercial and residential properties.

Stephens said, in the past, the city has hesitated on some residential BG property approvals without further conditional use.

This was seen earlier in August when the city denied the construction of a 300-unit, 23-acre mixed-use project in BG zoning, set to be built near the new Gulf Shores High School.

It was denied due to a 2020 amendment to the zoning ordinance, which was similar to these proposed changes as it required CUPs or planned unit developments (PUDs) to approve multi-family developments in BG.

Zoning ordinance amendments must be advertised by the city for a few weeks before they can be voted on.

Both the e-bike regulations and the zoning ordinance amendments are to be voted on in January. Gulf Shores meetings are typically held on Monday's at 4 p.m. at Gulf Shores City Hall, located at 1905 W 1st St.