DAPHNE, Ala. — The Daphne Planning Commission favorably recommended annexing and rezoning a nearly 20-acre parcel located at the intersection of Whispering Pines Road and County Road 13. The land is proposed to be zoned B-1, Local Business, and B-3, Professional Business.

Many residents expressed concern over plans in the public comment section of the meeting held Thursday.

“The intersection is surrounded by two schools (Daphne Middle and Daphne East Elementary schools),” said Richard Reeves, who lives just southeast of the intersection. “It’s not the kind of intersection conducive to being built as a business.”

Dean Parker, a business owner east of the location, had a different cause for concern.

“My biggest concern with the development is how many entrances in each slot of property,” he said. “One entrance or maybe two entrances that are landscaped properly and uniformly would look nice, but if they chop it up it won’t look attractive.”

The engineer for the project, David Diehl of Engineering Development Services, said he and the property owner want the development to look very nice, and he assured those in attendance that they were not proposing to build anything specific right now.

“We’re not proposing a specific use tonight. Those will come back at site plans,” Diehl said.

“This wouldn’t approve individual lots, but just the overall land as a B-1 and a B-3 zone,” said Adrienne Jones, the city’s community development director.

Commissioners wanted to modify the zoning table of uses. The amendment would require selling petroleum contents within a B-1 zone to be approved by the commission. The amendment was made with the concern that the specific project being debated would be built as a convenience store that sells gasoline.

In other news, the planning commission:

*Favorably recommended the Outdoor Amusement Zoning District Amendment. The new amendment to the Land Use and Development Ordinance would create a C-2 district for all outdoor amusements and recreation areas.

*Favorably recommended the request for a re-plat review of Lots 239 and 240 in the Lake Forest subdivision, Unit 18, to remove a common lot line.

*Tabled the resubdivision of Bowden Estates Lot 6, Belforest Plantation, to a Rural Agrucultural zone.