Despite the more attractive look of newer self-storage facilities, Alpharetta City Council decided Monday night the zoning outlined in the city’s master plan will not be changed lightly.

Alpharetta City Council voted 5 to 2 to deny a request for a self-storage facility at the northeast corner of Old Milton Parkway and Northpoint Parkway on a piece of land zoned for office use. Mayor Arthur Letchas and Councilman D.C. Aiken voted against denial.

Although the developers were willing to go to great lengths to make the proposal attractive, several members of Alpharetta City Council expressed concern with putting a self-storage facility at what they dubbed the city’s busiest intersection. In the city’s Unified Development Code, self-storage facilities are only allowed in Light Industrial areas and concerns were raised whether other uses, including adult entertainment, would move to the area as well if the self-storage were permitted.

“We could find ourselves in a situation where adult entertainment could find its way to the area, right down the street from the [Alpharetta] high school,” said Councilman Doug DeRito.

Alpharetta Community Development Director said the issue brought up some ambiguity because the newer type of self-storage facilities resemble office buildings and may not belong in the light industrial category.

The facility would have produced fewer trips than the office building it is zoned for, would have required fewer parking spaces and the developer, Twin Oaks Plaza, planned to make access to the greenway more convenient for employees of nearby businesses.