Where Do Child Care Centers Belong?

"Supporters of the proposed zoning change said safety and liability issues make these childcare facilities unpopular neighbors in small shopping centers and could lead to deserted commercial space along major thoroughfares like Texas Parkway.

'The problem with daycare is that it kills off the business,' said Councilman Jerry Wyatt. 'I'm not against daycare. My issue is economic development.'

Mayor Allen Owen, who supported the change, said business owners and developers have told him 'I will not place my business in a strip center that has a daycare center in it.'

Owen said business owners are leery of small children running unsupervised in strip center parking lots, where business patrons might back over them."