A Jackson Planning Board public hearing on a proposed shopping center has been placed on the panel’s agenda for Nov. 16 at town hall.
Menzi Properties of Staten Island, New York, is proposing to build Chandler Plaza at the intersection of Hyson and Chandler roads. The 4.4-acre parcel is in a Neighborhood Commercial zone.
The application was expected to be heard Oct. 5, but was postponed until November.
Residents who oppose Chandler Plaza have said the property stands out as the only nonresidential parcel in the area.
Several residents have hired attorney Peter S. Wersinger to represent them as they contest the application before the board.
Wersinger has said the size of the proposed project does not meet what he believes was the intention of municipal officials when the Neighborhood Commercial zone was created, since it more closely resembles Jackson’s definition of a shopping center.
A shopping center, according to Jackson’s municipal code, is a development that houses “such uses as retail stores and shops, personal service establishments, professional business offices, banks, post offices and restaurants” in one or more buildings that share features like “customer parking, pedestrian walkways, truck loading and unloading space, utilities and sanitary facilities” with a total floor area of 20,000 square feet.
As of Aug. 3, Chandler Plaza had been reduced from 24,620 square feet to 22,330 square feet.
The shopping center is now comprised of two 7,475-squarefoot retail buildings and a 7,380- square-foot commercial building with a restaurant.
The restaurant would have an outdoor dining area consisting of an additional 2,000 square feet, according to the plans.
The applicant is proposing to provide 134 parking spaces at Chandler Plaza, which is a reduction from the 146 parking spaces that were provided in the initial plan.