The Washington Mayor and City Council met Thursday afternoon at city hall to hear from the public concerning a proposed zoning change of a lot adjacent to the Edward B. Pope Community Center.

The proposal would change the property, at 129 Recreation Drive, from P1 to C2, allowing a private recreation business to build a bowling alley there.

The Washington Planning Commission had met and discussed the matter, and recommended that the city not make the change. The commission recommended a more centrally located site, out of the westside Lexington Avenue residential area.

Property owners whose homes were close to the proposed facility were dead-set against a busy commercial enterprise across from their homes. "I'm not for this at all," said Mildred Hackney. "We already have the Pope Center that's noisy already. I agree with the Planning Commission, to put it in a centrally located area, maybe near a shopping center. But not in our residential area."

Dicye Lucas Averette agreed. "This could not be an asset. If it succeeds, the traffic will be terrible and noisy. If it fails, it will be another eyesore."

Council member Ray Hardy looked over the plat of the property in question and discussed the proposed deal with council members and Mayor Willie Burns. "The council should be good stewards of the city's property," Hardy said, "and selling this land for just $2,000 an acre would be irresponsible." The new use of the land would also affect assessed taxes on valuable land adjacent to the Pope Center, he said.

After all the recommendations and discussions, the council voted not to change the zoning of the property.