ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — For several months, elected officials in Orange Beach have been mulling over zoning issues related to businesses such as liquor stores, non-chartered financial institutions, pawn shops and tattoo parlors. During that time, a moratorium was placed on these types of businesses while the city council considered amending the present zoning ordinance.

Mayor Tony Kennon along with numerous residents, have voiced their opinions at recent meetings preferring those types of businesses be outlawed completely in Orange Beach.

Other council members however, such as Pattisue Carranza and Brett Holk, seemed to struggle with the idea of limiting business, especially in the down economy.

On Tuesday, a compromise was made and an amendment to the zoning ordinance was finally accepted.

In passing the new ordinance, liquor stores, package stores and alcoholic beverage retailers will be allowed within the city limits but no closer than 500 feet from schools, public parks and residential areas.

The same restrictions will apply to body-piercing studios, non-chartered financial institutions, palm readers, pawn shops and tattoo parlors, which, in addition, will not be allowed within 5,000 feet of each other.

During last week’s committee of the whole meeting, Allen McElroy, a citizen of Orange Beach, told council members that they would be held responsible at the next election, for the stance that they would take on this and other issues.

“Two years from now we will hold you accountable for what you do,” McElroy said. “I’m not opposed to businesses, but this is a family-oriented area and we expect it to remain that way. If you are not going to keep it that way, we will hold you accountable in two years.”

Although the council voted unanimously to pass the ordinance, Carranza and Holk still seemed reluctant on the issue, even after hearing from residents who moved to the Gulf Coast from other parts of the state where similar businesses had caused detrimental effects in their communities,

“For the record, I think there is a fine line between regulation and censorship,” said Carranza. “I hope this ordinance isn’t crossing that line. I would hate to think that we are passing something that could be classified as something other than regulation.”

Holk added that while it appeared the council was going in the right direction, he did not want to infringe upon the rights of business owners.

“I do want to protect the quality of life for our residents,” Holk said. “But I don’t want to infringe on property rights and the rights of people to operate the business of their choice.”

Mayor Kennon expressed his opinion which he has held to since the discussion began saying, “I wish we had been much more strict and eliminated them altogether, but I will support the compromise and I appreciate everyone working together to get to this point.”