Dublin City Council is considering an ordinance that would amend the conditional uses in the community commercial district and allow day cares, tutoring centers and recreational uses such as recording studios, dance halls and arcades.

Not all council members were in favor of the changes at their meeting Oct. 6, when the ordinance received its first reading.

"The issues of arcades, live music and dance venues have always been prohibited," Mayor Marilee Chinnici-Zuercher said at the meeting. "We felt very strongly about not wanting them here in our community."

Among the issues she mentioned, Chinnici-Zuercher said these types of uses not only attract people from Dublin, but from all around the Columbus area.

Councilwoman Amy Salay felt differently.

"We have a lot of youth in our community and when they are surveyed about choices for activities they consistently say they wish they had more places to gather and more things to do," she said. "I'm not sure this solves it. A place for kids to go to dance would be welcomed if it was very well run."

Council didn't raise issue with allowing day cares and tutoring centers.

The drive to amend the code to allow the recreational uses is a result of local businessman David Davis' meetings with city officials about a proposal for the Dublin Village Center along Sawmill Road.

Davis has not filed a formal application with the city, but has had several informal discussions about constructing a multi-purpose center geared toward a teenage audience with live music, a dance hall, an arcade, meeting and conference room space and food and drink services, senior planner Tammy Noble-Flading said.

"There wasn't a real clear provision for those uses in the code," said Steve Langworthy, director of land use and long range planning. "As we often do, we proposed to planning and zoning and council to see if they want to plug those holes, if you will."

Before a second reading of the ordinance, council directed city staff to look into law enforcement issues that have occurred with similar venues as well as what other communities permit in their codes.

A date for a second reading has not been set, but it could be as early as November, Langworthy said.

bdunlap@thisweeknews.com