NATCHEZ — Natchez Preservation commissioners voted Wednesday to require Roth Hill casino developers to get further approval for changes and possible increases in parking at the casino site as a condition of their approval of the construction of a retaining wall at the site.

Hayden Kaiser Jr. of Jordan, Kaiser & Sessions appeared before the board for a certificate of appropriateness for the retaining wall, which will be 17 feet at its tallest point and an extension of the existing wall at the site.

Commissioners discussed concerns about the site’s parking and potential landscaping to disguise the retaining wall before voting 5-1 to grant the certificate of appropriateness. Commissioner Liz Dantone voted against the certificate. Commissioners Bethany Overton, Cornelius Bradley and Francis Morris were not present at the meeting.

Dantone noted that casino developers have proposed 50 parking spaces as a part of the second draft of the proposed third amendment to the city’s lease with developers. The 50 spaces would be located in the area designated for parking and a public park, according to the amendment.

City Planner Bob Nix said the 50 spaces is a significant increase from the approximately 35 spaces in the site plans the preservation commission approved.

Dantone said she believed some of the parking spaces had migrated toward the proposed area designated for the public park.

Dantone also said she believed the commission’s approval for the construction of the retaining wall was directly tied to the approval of landscaping plans, which have not yet been submitted to the commission.

Kaiser said the commission was getting off topic from that which he was seeking approval.

“No, we’re not,” Nix said. “If the parking is not going to be as it was in the original design, (the commission) should not even consider approving the retaining wall.”

Nix said since the retaining wall was previously approved and because there were no significant changes to the location or specifics of the wall, the wall can be built according to those plans without the commission being able to impose other conditions.

Nix said, however, the increase in parking spaces warranted further approval.

“The problem is that these are site plan changes that need to come back to the planning commission for approval,” he said.