Planning staff told the Mills Planning and Zoning Commission that the city is proposing draft amendments to Title 17 that would add simulcasting and gaming (including historic horse racing-style simulcast machines) as allowable uses in C-1 (general commercial) zoning, subject to special-use and conditional-use regulations. "The city's intention here is to align Title 17 kind of preemptively to be able to address, some additional authorities, if you will, that the legislature is hoping to grant to cities and towns," Casey said. Staff recommended approval of the draft as a way to establish local expectations and regulatory guardrails.

Casey listed operational and location controls currently in the draft: limiting simulcasting and gaming to C-1 zoning, requiring compliance with all other C-1 standards (landscaping, lighting, parking tables), a proposed 300-foot buffer from residences, schools, daycares and churches, an operational-hours example (draft language cited an 8 a.m.–12 a.m. window with exceptions if tied to a liquor license), a parking standard of one off-street space per 100 square feet of gaming floor area, sound-level references and a police-reviewed security/operations plan as part of any approval.

Casey also identified existing local facilities providing gaming and simulcasting. Staff said there are currently five locations offering gaming and simulcasting in the city; the Hideaway Bar was described in the record as operating in Residential-2 zoning and would be the only facility outside C-1 that would be grandfathered if the code change is adopted.

Commissioners raised several concerns: the potential for state legislation to preempt local zoning, the social impacts of larger concentrations of machines, enforcement of hours and sound conditions, the mechanics of grandfathering and conversions, and how police sign-off on an operations plan would be documented without creating security risks. Commissioners discussed the legislative context described by staff: a proposed three-year moratorium on new skills-based machines, testimony that led to some dialing back of initial proposals, and a legislative proposal to lift the per-track machine cap from 1,500 to 3,000.

On procedure, Casey explained the P&Z can tentatively approve the draft with technical edits, forward recommendations to council for three readings, and return with final recommended language prior to council’s third reading. Commissioners asked staff to circulate specific technical questions and suggested edits by email so they could refine language on hours, parking, landscape buffers and numeric sound limits before the next P&Z meeting in December.

A commissioner moved to tentatively approve the Title 17 amendments as drafted with the opportunity to propose minor changes at the next planning meeting; another commissioner seconded the motion. The commission approved the tentative recommendation by voice vote and agreed to forward the draft to the council work session for the public hearing and first reading. The vote was recorded as a procedural, tentative approval pending technical edits and further P&Z review.