The board of aldermen gave a Natchez man permission to operate a grocery and laundry facility Tuesday — overturning a decision by the Natchez Zoning Board of Adjustment.

After hearing from store owner Ronnie Herbert and from supporters and objectors, the board voted 4-2 to grant the appeal, allowing Herbert to move ahead with his plans. Herbert needed a variance because the business is in a residential district.

Ward 1 Alderwoman Joyce Arceneaux voted to sustain the board’s April 11 ruling. The proposed business on 901 N. Union Street is located in Ward 1.

Arceneaux said she supports economic development but her constituents are opposed to the proposed business. &uot;I just want to listen to the people who voted me in,&uot; she said.

Ward 3 Alderwoman Sue Stedman also voted to sustain the ruling.

City Planner David Preziosi said the planning department recommended denial of the variance, citing concerns of noise, litter, loitering and traffic congestion often associated with the type of business proposed. He also noted the objections of several residents in the area near the proposed business.

Before the area was rezoned residential, a similar business operated in the building in which the grocery would be located.

Charles Sanders, chairman of the Adams County Voters League, spoke in Herbert’s favor. Addressing concerns brought up by the zoning board and residents, Sanders said those problems were part of the previous owners’ business.

Sanders also reminded the board of past variance approvals, including the city’s granting requests for businesses offering alcohol near church buildings. The proposed grocery and laundry facility would not be allowed to sell alcohol.

Several other Herbert supporters gave testimonies of Herbert’s character, saying he is a &uot;clean man&uot; who would not allow the type of activity that was associated with the former business.

Mayor Larry L. &uot;Butch&uot; Brown said the issue was not about Herbert’s, or the previous owners’, character, but whether the business would be a benefit to the community.

Polly White, 907 N. Union Street, agreed. &uot;This is not a question of who, but what,&uot; she said. Despite Herbert’s promises of security and a no-tolerance attitude toward loitering, White said a business owner can’t control the behavior of patrons.

Nancy Hungerford, Natchez Children’s Home executive director, also spoke against the proposed business. She said she was forced to forbid children from playing in the front of the home because of the type of people who frequented the former business. The home for abused and neglected children is located across the corner from the now vacant building.

At the meeting, Herbert produced a letter which he said showed the children’s home’s interest in purchasing the property themselves.

Hungerford said she and the children’s home board did make an &uot;informal inquiry&uot; to the property owners, but only after the variance request was denied and before they learned of the appeal. She said the board saw the property and vacant building as a opportunity to expand the work of the children’s home.

Now that the board of aldermen has granted Herbert a variance for the property, Hungerford said, &uot;We’re going to be supportive of (the business), because we want to be good neighbors.&uot;

Ward 5 Aldermen David Massey called the decision &uot;tough,&uot; and several other aldermen acknowledged that both sides represented at the meeting had valuable points.