NATCHEZ — The possibly premature investment by Roth Hill casino developers of millions of dollars on infrastructure for parking next to the site’s public park means concrete, not greenery, will inevitably go in an area no longer part of the developers’ lease with the city.

The Natchez Preservation Commission unanimously voted at its Wednesday meeting to have developers remove 16 proposed parking spaces included as site plan amendments for which developers were seeking approval.

After the vote, Natchez City Planner Bob Nix reminded the commission that the additional parking planned for the area near the proposed public park is no longer included in the developers’ lease with the City of Natchez.

The Natchez Board of Aldermen approved last month a third amendment to the casino’s lease that moved the lease property north and no longer includes the area previously approved for developers to put 31 spaces to be used for park-goers and casino patrons.

Nix cautioned the commission to be aware that developers had already spent several millions of dollars on parking infrastructure giving them a vested interest in the parking area that would not be easily reversible even in court.

“Steel and concrete are already in the ground and (developers have) invested several millions,” he said. “The original site plan included the parking. I don’t know why it was approved, I don’t know if investments were tied in there.”

Nix said because of the amount of money that has been spent on the parking infrastructure, a judge would not likely order the developers to remove the infrastructure.

Mayoral candidate Larry L. “Butch” Brown questioned whether the park’s parking area would be considered part of the casino’s legally required non-gaming infrastructure since it would also be used for the casino and is no longer part of the casino lease.

“It’s either a parking lot or it’s a (park,)” Brown said.

Brown said he did not believe the parking area for the park could count as part of the casino’s non-gaming infrastructure and asked the commission to be aware of that fact before they approved any plans.

Resident Paris Winn said he did not understand why the city was obligated to allow parking on property the city owned and the casino does not lease.

Resident Gwen Ball said she had heard Nix tell developers at meetings that they were proceeding with construction at their own risk, which Nix confirmed.

“That very tactic is what these people have put upon us based on the fact that they did not have any funding,” she said. “I don’t care how many millions of dollars they have spent, if it’s not right, it’s not right.”

A possible secondary access road for fire trucks and other emergency vehicles was also a hot topic at the meeting.

Brown asked Vance how the developers planned to use a portion of the Natchez Trails Project that has yet to be built as a secondary road to the site because the road would have to come across private property.

Vance said the Natchez Fire Department has requested a secondary access road for fire trucks. He said he believed an easement would allow the trucks to come to the site on a road that connects to Silver Street, travel across the easement, through the public park and into the parking lot of the casino.

Vance said the developers agreed to provide the secondary road based on the recommendation of Natchez City Engineer David Gardner at the request of the fire department. Vance said he was unsure if a final decision on whether the road would be built has been made yet.

In other news from the meeting:

•After a lengthy discussion about the types of species and heights of plants that would be planted at the site, the commission deferred action on the developers’ submitted landscaping plan until their next meeting.

•The commission approved an outdoor lighting plan for the site with 10 conditions, including further review of the lighting model to confirm the impact of the lighting on neighboring properties and the bluff met minimal standards and light fixtures be shielded to direct light downward.

•The commission observed a moment of silence in honor of commission member Bethany Overton, who died March 5.

“We appreciate her services, and we extend our condolences to Mrs. Overton’s family,” Commissioner Marty Seibert said.

The commission’s next regularly scheduled meeting is at 5:15 p.m. on April 11 in the Natchez City Council Chambers.

Casino developers are scheduled to appear before the Natchez Planning Commission at its meeting at 5:15 p.m. today in the chambers seeking approval for similar plans presented to the preservation commission.