The Town of Waynesville solved one problem Nov. 28 by deciding where, exactly, video gaming parlors may in the future be located, but by denying local gambling establishment Nudge City the opportunity to remain in its current location on Dellwood City Road, the town has “created a solution looking for a problem,” according to the business’s attorney, Mark Melrose.
Melrose was the only person to speak at the meeting for or against the proposed text amendment to the town’s land development standards, which passed unanimously and relegates such gaming parlors to the Regional Center districts like the Russ Avenue corridor and the Walmart area of Hazelwood.
Waynesville Mayor Gavin Brown also added another stipulation of his own.
“We think it should say that alcohol sales for on-site consumption within video gaming parlors are expressly prohibited,” said Brown, referring to Alderman Julia Boyd Freeman.
The real problem is that Nudge City is located in a mixed-use overlay of the historic Love Lane Residential District and shouldn’t have been allowed to open in the first place, according to Waynesville Development Services Director Elizabeth Teague.
Despite the adverse ruling, the business, which is home to games of chance that are currently permissible by state statutes, continues to operate at its Dellwood City Road location, which Melrose argued was suitable in many ways for the operation thereof; he opined that moving such businesses to busy retail corridors would enhance their visibility.
When contacted for comment, attorney Adam Melrose, who has also done some work on the case, said that his client, owner Tami Nicholson, has filed an appeal before the Waynesville Zoning Board of Adjustment, which is expected to hear the request in late January.