Downtown El Cajon will have more bars in the near future. The City Council on Tuesday approved Downtown Master Plan amendments that included lifting an ordinance that had allowed only two bars in the area for almost 30 years. Council members also agreed with a recommendation from the Downtown Property Based Improvement District Board of Directors to restrict flashing lights downtown, but disagreed with their approval of multi-colored lights, opting instead for only white lights. City Council members in October agreed to revise an ordinance in place since 1995 that required taverns to be a certain distance from one another. With the Main Tap Tavern and La Fiesta Night Club already operating in the 500 block of West Main Street, no other bars have been allowed to open because of the spacing restriction. With all council members agreeing that times have changed since 1995, city staff members were directed to return with a plan to allow more establishments that serve alcohol downtown. Deputy Director of Community Development Noah Alvey presented the council with a plan to allow two more bars no larger than 2,500 square feet. Alvey said the size restriction was made with consultation from the Police Department and was intended to create a tavern with a neighborhood feel. After council members expressed concerns that the restriction could deter slightly larger bars, the plan was amended to allow the council to consider exceptions to the restriction on a case-by-case basis. The restriction covers the stretch on East Main Street from Magnolia Avenue to Claydelle Avenue and Rea Avenue from Magnolia Avenue to Sulzfeld Way. “Two outlets seems like about the right fit for right now,” Alvey said. “That’s something that we can continue to reevaluate in the future.” The 2,500-square-foot restriction does not apply to entertainment venues such as the Magnolia Theater or microbreweries, which are allowed in the zoning code, he said. Councilmember Michelle Metschel raised the question about whether 2,500 square feet rule was too restrictive and said she had seen very successful bars in La Mesa that were larger. Alvey said a typical neighborhood-style bar is of a smaller size, and larger bars tend to have multiple pool tables and other entertainment, which can lead to issues police officers will have to address. Metschel then asked why the city would place restrictions on businesses based on issues that have not happened. She compared the size limitation to the city’s restriction against walking dogs in downtown El Cajon, which also had been in place for about 30 years but was lifted this year after city officials realized that the original concerns about dogs never materialized. “I guess my hesitation on having that limitation is that we don’t exactly have people knocking down our doors saying we want to open up a bar,” Metschel said. Just as council members were about to vote on the amendments to the plan, Metschel interjected that she disagreed with having multi-colored lights on downtown businesses. In September, the Downtown Property Based Improvement District Board of Directors had discussed a restriction on colored lights, but decided to allow them to promote variety and creativity. Metschel, again recalling what she had seen in La Mesa, said she liked the looks of the white lights in that city’s downtown. Council members all agreed that white lights look classy and supported a prohibition against multi-colored and flashing business lights.