Sausalito’s effort to revise its zoning to attract food and retail franchises, but exclude chains that might undermine neighborhood character, is heading back to the Planning Commission.

The City Council was poised Tuesday to adopt a new definition for so-called “formula retail” businesses and to establish how many of these businesses could be speedily granted permits.

But after extensive public comments — some seeking to bar any franchise that could sully the city, others pressing for looser standards to fill empty storefronts — the council remanded the zoning revisions with instructions for more flexible standards.

“We can’t take action on this tonight because it has to go back to the Planning Commission if we change it,” said Mayor Joan Cox.

Cox made a motion to direct staff to prepare revisions. One would prohibit more formula retail in the downtown commercial district. Another would redefine a formula chain as having at least 50 other locations rather than at least six. She noted that Blue Bottle Coffee has 47 locations while Starbucks has many more.

During the meeting Tuesday meeting, more than a dozen residents and business owners presented conflicting views on what chains should be allowed in the city.

“I’m really excited with all of the improvements we are seeing downtown,” said Sharna Brockett, co-founder of Positive People for Sausalito, a new group supporting more permissive commercial zoning. “Unfortunately, we’re still overcoming a reputation that Sausalito has, that we’re a very hard place to do business with and to open a business. … We still have 17 open storefronts, so let’s take the next steps to fill them.”

“I don’t like to see the empty store next to me,” said Yoshi Tome, who owns Sushi Ran on Caledonia Street. “Please, please fix this ASAP.”

Babette McDougal, a longtime resident and marketing executive, said the goal to administratively approve new businesses — instead of holding public hearings and issuing conditional use permits — would harm the city.

“Every time you bring in a formula retail, yes, they can be very sexy but it creates impacts,” McDougal said. “I don’t see the presentation from the city dealing with traffic impacts. I don’t see any question about … once a formula retail, always a formula retail, bypassing future consideration. Hey, that could be horrible.”

“Please don’t eliminate residential input from the formula retail permit process,” said Laurette Rogers, whose family has lived in the city for generations. “We’ve been part of the building of Sausalito for a century, part of decisions and developments. Shouldn’t we have a say in what formula retail businesses will now be located near our homes?”