ORANGE BEACH, Ala. – Mayor Tony Kennon was a little shocked at how readily and easily the City Council was prepared to OK a restaurant to a once-controversial site.

“Have we had enough discussion on this restaurant to be voting at this point in time?” he asked as the council was poised to vote.

It was the same site that restaurateur Eddie Spence had proposed an open-air Bob Marley-themed eatery with an outdoor stage. The planned unit development is called Amber Isle and had been OK’d for a hotel and a Ron Jon Surf shop.

The holdup had been the restaurant. Nearby residents were concerned with noise levels come from the restaurant.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want the Hangout across the street from my house,” resident Al Bradley said. Bradley is also the chairman of the Planning Commission for the city.

The site is just east and south of Gulf State Park on Alabama 182 and across the street from a row of houses on the beach. It has a single-family residential zoning, but has been given a variance for the development.

Forrest Daniell, the architect for the project, was present at the meeting and presented changes to the plans to enclose the restaurant and eliminate the outdoor stage.

Developer Mark Goldstein is currently looking for a restaurant to occupy the building. He said he plans to build the restaurant with his own money and then secure financing for the hotel and surf shop.

“I want to thank Mr. Goldstein for doing exactly what we asked,” Bradley said. “We have no problem with the restaurant. We have no problem with the retail. We’ve already agreed to the hotel.”

Another resident, Cecil Young, lives across the beach road from the development and was against the previous open-air proposal.

“As long as it meets the (noise) ordinance, I don’t care, but when it goes over the ordinance, see you in court,” Young said.

Also on Tuesday, the city voted to pay $10,000 to help bring Loop Road up to code before the Orange Beach officially takes over the maintenance of the road.

But the money will go to Mariner Lakes Property Owners Association after the group contracts and pays for bringing the road up to standard.

“Basically the recommendation is that Mariner Lakes Property Owners Association needs to build the road and then after the road is built to an acceptable standard, then we would give them the $10,000,” Director of Environmental and Engineering Services Kit Alexander said. “At the time that we accept that road for public maintenance and for public right away.”

How the city would transfer the money to Mariner Lakes and when the other commercial partners along the road would contribute their portion has yet to be worked out, Alexander said.

“I am trying to facilitate getting them to the table to work that out,” Alexander said. “That payment will have to be made and they’ll have to work it out.

“But the nice thing is that the property owners association has an attorney and he can help with whatever agreement to advise the POA as to the best way to have that agreement in place.”

Alexander said the cooperation on the project has been an asset.

“I’m pretty impressed that they all came to the table and are so willing to work it out,” she said. “It doesn’t happen that way normally. The city can require things and people can comply, but when they all come to the table and are all so agreeable to participate, it’s helpful.”

In other business, the city agreed to spend just more than $32,000 to replace the information sign in front of the city complex. The cost includes refurbishing and repainting the current sign as well.

The city also OK’d the purchase of a jet ski trailer for the fire department.