Natchez &8212; Aldermen voted 4-2 Tuesday to set a height limit of 75 feet for buildings in the waterfront development district.

They also voted unanimously to extend B-3 business zoning from its current end at Wall Street all the way to Broadway Street, the road running closest to the Mississippi River bluff.

The latter change would allow a maximum height of 95 feet for businesses all the way to Broadway Street allowing, among other things, a hotel of up to that height across Canal Street from the convention center.

That was after a 90-minute public hearing held at the start of the aldermen meeting. Several of those present in the packed council chambers spoke on various sides of the issue.

Aldermen first suggested the height change last month after developers Ed Worley and Larry L. Brown Jr. proposed a $19 million condo development to be located on the river bluff.

Preservationists and locals have expressed concern the current design of the development, which would be at least five stories tall, wouldn&8217;t blend with other structures in the area and doesn&8217;t fit with the city&8217;s existing guidelines and ordinances.

&8220;I want to see Natchez develop and move forward &8230;in a way that&8217;s best of everyone, but you must abide by the (planning) rules. This would alter the bluff forever,&8221; said Jim Sanders of Natchez.

The recommendations of those who spoke varied from person to person, including suggestions that:

4The vote be tabled until after Nov. 7 and 8, when Worley and Brown have said they&8217;ll meet with the Historic Natchez Foundation&8217;s architects to discuss the design and perhaps work out a compromise.

4The zoning ordinance not be changed at all, because such a change is needed under the law only when the property in question is being subdivided or when the city needs to correct an error in the ordinance.

Some also noted that variances can be granted on a case-by-case basis as needed without changing the ordinances.

4That the city include its planning ordinances and design guidelines on its Web site so businesses will know them before they propose to build in Natchez.

4That the riverfront be developed with a combination of public green space, museums, playgrounds, concert venues and businesses that fit within the existing guidelines and ordinances.

4That the old Pecan Factory site, where the Worley-Brown condos would be located, not be built upon due to concerns the bluff&8217;s loess soil would collapse and due to environmental concerns, such as old batteries thought to be buried on the site.

4That the money the city will spend on improvements to the condo area &8212; reportedly $500,000, the same amount the city would get for selling the land &8212; be used instead on tourism marketing.

Some suggested more promotion of the story of black people in Natchez to tourists, with owners of antebellum houses contributing money to help commemorate such sites as the Forks of the Road former slave market site.

4That downtown&8217;s vacant land be developed in stair-step heights, with the area closest to the bluff reserved for only the shortest buildings.

Some opponents of the condo project as it&8217;s currently envisioned said the project won&8217;t generate property tax revenues for the city for the first four years and wouldn&8217;t create many jobs.

Not everyone said the condo development shouldn&8217;t be done as proposed. Barney Schoby Jr. of Natchez spoke in favor of the development and accused those who aren&8217;t of &8220;economic sabotage&8221; and &8220;board (of aldermen) bashing.&8221;

&8220;There&8217;s a $19 million proposal on the table,&8221; Schoby said. &8220;Our officials are put there to help this town grow and prosper. And the majority of the city seems to be for condos.&8221;

As far as the current ordinances are concerned, the Rev. John Scott Sr. said &8220;the law isn&8217;t worth the paper it&8217;s printed on if it&8217;s wrong.&8221;

Aldermen David Massey and Jake Middleton voted against the motion changing the maximum height of waterfront district buildings.

Although they&8217;re for the development, both said they&8217;d rather wait to hold a vote until they saw what design the Nov. 7 and 8 meetings will generate.

In other business, aldermen voted to set up a citizen advisory committee, which would work with the city&8217;s planning department to recommend changes to the city&8217;s planning ordinances to aldermen, hopefully within 90 days.

Deborah Martin, Planning Commission chairwoman, said that commission in 1999 proposed such changes, but those changes were not acted on by aldermen at that time.