Story Created:
Nov 3, 2009
Story Updated:
Nov 4, 2009
Two new eight-liner establishments were up for approval at yesterday's City Council meeting.
One got re-zoned the other one didn't.
The eight-liner topic is stirring up some controversy and one City Councilman says they have to draw the line.
One City Councilman says they made changes to an amendment to make it easier for these businesses to get their permits, saying City Council wanted to help building owners to fill up the empty spaces.
But that has caught up with Council as the City already has 59 eight liner establishments and more than five thousand machines registered in the City.
Yesterday Councilman Gene Belmares voted against two re-zoning items on the agenda.
One item was to re-zone the nine hundred block of Houston Street so an eight-liner could take the space.
Council denied that because the business didn't have enough parking spaces for potential customers.
The other location is in the 12 hundred block of San Bernardo. Tthat one passed.
"I think we already have enough spaces here they can go. They can be structure in those places. We don't need to make it any easier for them to proliferate and again this will be an enforcement issue." "The fact is we can't bury our heads in the sand. This is an issue that has gotten way out of control." Councilman Gene Belmares told Pro 8 News.
Councilman Belmares says the City should meet with the police chief and get their input first hand on this issue.
Belmares also says the state needs to toughen up the laws since the penalty for paying out more than 5-dollars is only a misdemeanor.
