Saunders Yachtworks wants a boat basin on the Intracoastal Waterway. And so does the city of Gulf Shores.

In fact, the basin will be on property leased from the city on the waterway just east of the Alabama 59 bridge. The place is abuzz with construction activity as work to get the facility open by spring of 2012 continues.

But there is one little snag, al beit one that the city and Saunders intends to solve.

“The city. in conjunction with Saunders Yachtworks, proposes a rezone of the Saunders Yachtworks property from its current ICW North zoning to a zoning designation of I-1 Industrial,” City Planning Director Andy Bauer told the council on Monday.

“The reason for this request is the current ICW North zoning does not allow a boat basin. And the I-1 Industrial zoning district does allow a boat basin.”

Councilman Phillip Harris raised concerns over what exactly the zoning would allow besides a boat basin.

“Are there uses in that zoning that would not be appropriate for that property?” he asked. “This is to allow the basin, but are opening the door for other things in that industrial zone that we may not want there?”

Bauer is now looking for a solution to the zoning snafu, but one that will not allow heavy industry to move to the waterway area.

“Another option would be a conditional rezoning where we limited the rezoning to that use,” Harris said.

Whatever the case, Bauer will explore options to the correct zoning in place so the basin can continue to move forward.

“Right now we’re in the same lump as a condo and there’s never going to be a condo there,” Saunders President and CEO John Fitzgerald said. “So we’d like to have that zoning for the use of the property.”

“We understand what you are doing out there, we bought in from the beginning,” Mayor Robert Craft told Fitzgerald. “We’re your partner in this deal so it’s up to us to work with you to solve the problem.”