DAPHNE, Ala.—The Daphne City Council held a public hearing Monday for a request to change the city’s land-use ordinance to add bowling alleys and family entertainment centers as a use in a B-1 zone with Planning Commission approval.

The owner of B-1-zoned property at the northwest corner of Lawson Road and County Road 13 wishes to build a bowling alley. Bowling alleys are currently allowed in B-2 zones, general business, without planning commission approval. The owner also runs the Gulf Bowl bowling alley in Foley.

Residents from all over Baldwin County expressed their opinion, both for and against the proposed change.

“Bowling is the largest participatory sport in the country,” Fairhope resident Paul Yonkee said. “For those of you concerned about alcohol, again there is alcohol served right across the street at the convenience store.”

“This really just seems like a no-brainer to me,” Will Rice, of Daphne, said. “Anytime the argument form the other side is ‘Well, you could have something worse,” then I think that says that this does not maintain the beauty of Daphne.”

See the rest of this story in the Dec. 8 edition of The Bulletin.