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The Albemarle City Council tabled a decision Monday night regarding the naming of the downtown alleyway project, deciding it needed more clarification and information.

Mayor Ronnie Michael said the contractor for the project suggested the city be careful with the length of the name it selects because “it’s going to cause letters to get smaller and smaller.”

The alleyway, which stretches from West Main Street to King Street, will become a pedestrian plaza with seating for outdoor dining and casual gathering. It will include overhead string lighting and decorative poles and green space, including planters that can be adjusted for the seasons.

During its last meeting in March, at which point more than 60 names had been suggested by the public, the council agreed to send their top three choices to David Fath, the city’s public information officer.

Courthouse Plaza received four votes, the most among the council members, followed by several that received two votes, including Courthouse Alley, City Square Plaza and Social District Plaza, according to the council meeting agenda.

Michael said the contractor had concerns with the length of Courthouse Plaza. Michael said he asked the contractor if he could produce a digitized picture of what the name would look like, but Michael said he has not heard back from him.

Michael said he asked the contractor if he could have digitized images bearing both a short name and a long name “so we could see the difference in the sizes of the letters.”

The council made a motion to delay a decision until the next council meeting on April 17.