A controversial case involving the new Lake House was tabled Tuesday, but the proposed amendments to Mandeville’s Comprehensive Land Use Regulations resulted in a lengthy discussion between Planning and Zoning commissioners and residents.

Unable to provide the city with the requested landscaping and parking plan, the owners of the Lake House, which is located at 2025 Lakeshore Drive in the former Bechac’s Restaurant, requested their case be tabled.

The matter will be heard at the next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting on March 24. Planning Director Louisette Kidd said the facility is currently operating as a restaurant; however, applicants Cayman Sinclair and Vicky Bailey have requested a zoning permit to operate a special events venue. They have also requested a variance for parking and landscaping.

Kidd said the business would require approximately 80 spaces, and there are no on-site spaces. She did say they are allowed to count 50 percent of the adjacent off-street parking, but that does little to help in this case.

She said some of the options the applicants are looking into include leasing adjacent land to provide access to the rear of their property, leasing an adjacent lot or signing a lease agreement with the owners of the Justine Plantation so the Lake House could use its parking places on the weekends.

Kidd said as of Tuesday’s meeting the applicants had not provided the city with any valid lease agreements.

However, parking was not what neighbors showed up at Tuesday night’s meeting to discuss.

Neighbors, like Bo Kite, who lives in the condominiums on Lakeshore Drive, said their biggest fear is noise.

City Attorney David Cressy said noise has always been an issue in a B3 zoning district, where homes often abut restaurants, bars or other commercial establishments.

Kidd said balancing the residential and commercial uses in Old Mandeville is hard.

The City Council has proposed some changes to the CLURO, addressing the issue, but Cressy acknowledged it’s a tough issue to address, and he asked commissioners for their help and ideas.

As it is proposed now, the ordinance would prohibit outdoor amplified music, require all outside acoustic and low amplified music comply with the city’s noise ordinance and prohibit such music between the hours of 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.

The ordinance would also prohibit all indoor high-amplified music from 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weeknights and between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. on weekends and all indoor low amplified or acoustic music between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. week nights and 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. weekends.

Also, these regulations could be waived with the approval of a special events permit stipulating such.

After hearing the comments from residents and commissioners, Cressy said he needed to do some more work better defining instrument types.

At the suggestion of resident Ginger Fortson, he said he would also look into a way the city can regulate noise coming from jukeboxes and radios used in businesses.

The ordinance would govern all commercial businesses in Old Mandeville, unlike zoning permits which place stipulations on operating hours on a case-by-case basis.

Commissioner Michael Blache expressed some concern over setting the hours live music can be provided and “telling people they have to stop when they aren’t bothering anyone.”

But, Zoning Chairman Nixon Adams said he likes the idea of having set hours for all businesses because it “treats everyone the same.”

The commission is scheduled to make a recommendation on the ordinance at its March 24 meeting. From there it will go before the council on March 26 for a vote.