ROBERTSDALE, Alabama — The Robertsdale City Council voted to approve a rezoning request during a brief meeting held Tuesday, Jan. 16 at city hall.

The council voted unanimously Tuesday, to approve the request from property owner Christina Childress, rezoning property on Alabama 104 from R-1, single-family residential to B-1, local shopping district, based on a recommendation from the city’s Planning Board.

According to information provided during the meeting, the proposed buyer wants to convert a house previously used as a private residence into a Real Estate office. The proposed buyer, Dean Skipper, was on hand at Tuesday’s meeting.

Also on hand were adjacent property owners Eric and Terry Spalding. While they did not object to the Real Estate office, the Spaldings wanted to express their concerns about possible future use of the property.

“We do not object to putting a real estate office there,” Terry Spalding said. “We’re excited and glad to have someone coming in who will fix up the place and look forward to being good neighbors.”

Eric Spalding said they drafted a letter which they gave to the Planning Commission at its meeting and were assured by Mayor Charles Murphy, council members and staff that the letter would be placed on file with the property. The main concern, he said, was that the B-1 designation had a broad definition of what the property could be used for.

“We just wanted to have something on file expressing our concerns if this should come up in the future,” he said.

The council voted unanimously by roll-call vote to suspend the rules for immediate passage, then voted unanimously by roll-call vote to adopt Ordinance No. 001-18, approving the rezoning request.

In other business Jan. 16, the council:

•Approved a request from the Robertsdale Rotary Club for the use of the Baldwin County Fairgrounds Arena for the club’s 18th Annual PCA Championship Rodeo, including March 7 for a mini-rodeo for local school students, then the main event March 9 and 10, and to use the city’s digital billboard to advertise the event.

•Purchased an advertisement with the Robertsdale High School Lady Bear Softball Booster Club in the amount of $500.

•Appointed June Kennedy and Jodee Darby to vacancies on the Park & Street Committee.

•Reappointed Nick Cillo to the Industrial Development Board.