DAPHNE, Ala. — The Daphne Planning Commission during its special meeting Wednesday expressed interest in distinguishing hotels and motels from lodging areas with longer stays.

The city of Gulf Shores’ zoning ordinance — which Daphne planners want to tweak — defines such developments as those that provide “short term lodging accommodations for public rental on a daily, weekly or other short term basis for registered guests.”

Commissioner Larry Chason defined such places as “a hybrid of a hotel and an apartment.”

For instance, Homewood Suites by Hilton, currently under construction on U.S. Highway 90, is such a facility. The city already has two established lodging areas that are considered extended-stay facilities, commissioners said.

There’s a problem, though: the city lacks clear guidelines on such developments.

Due to their nature, the density limit should be about six people per unit and parking requirements should increase to two per unit, commissioners said. Such developments currently abide by the same rules as hotels and motels, which call for one parking space per unit.

“We need to up the parking spaces for extended-stay facilities to two per room because most have more than one adult. If we don’t address this, those people are going to shift (parking) to adjacent businesses and things like that,” Commissioner Victoria Phelps said.

All commissioners agreed, without formal action, that hotels should provide one parking space per room; motels should provide 1.5.

Another hot topic Wednesday stemmed from an unenforced clause in the Land Use and Development ordinance that limits rezoning decisions to a one-year expiration.

City planners had opposing views of how to solve the problem.

Planning Commissioner Cathy Barnette, also a city council member, said she wants the current ordinance enforced, regardless of the timeline.

Bill Eady, the city’s community development director, however, said the one-year deadline is insufficient for some construction projects to begin. Therefore, the clause should be removed altogether, he said.

“To do what you’re proposing would completely destroy the planning process,” he said.

Paper work would overwhelm the planning staff if the clause is enforced, because maps would have to be changed each year, Eady said.

Commissioners said they’ll revisit the issue at a later meeting.