The South Iowa Regional Commercial Center is shown north of a proposed extension, in this map from the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission has recommended for approval a proposal for a shopping center south of the South Lawrence Trafficway.

“I think that the health of the retail market plays into the welfare and wellbeing of the community,” Chairman Clay Britton said while voting in favor of the proposal at the commission’s Monday night meeting.

An out-of-state development group, Collett, based in Charlotte, N.C., has filed plans to build the new shopping center at the southeast corner of the SLT and Iowa Street interchange. The Planning Commission voted 6-2 to recommend approval of the rezoning and planning changes required for the project, which will now head to the City Commission for consideration.

The project would have about 250,000 square feet of space for new retailers and restaurants. The proposed tenants aren’t official, but previously the development group has said Academy Sports, Old Navy, Marshalls/HomeGoods, Designer Shoe Warehouse and other smaller retailers want to come to the site.

Planning commissioners recommended for approval an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan that would change the designated land use in the southern development plan from auto-related commercial to regional commercial, as well as the rezoning of 59.80 acres from residential to commercial.

In addressing the matter of rezoning the area from residential to commercial, Korb Maxwell, a representative for Collett, argued that a residential area is not what you put at the intersection of two highways; the better choice is a regional commercial designation, he said.

“What does the city of Lawrence benefit by continuing to zone a property residential that is never going to be residential?” Maxwell asked.

“We think this creates an unbelievably strong opportunity to keep dollars in Lawrence,” Maxwell continued, adding that the project will help bring additional retail spending in from nearby communities. “We think it’s the right use, and we think it’s the right spot.”

The Planning Commission’s recommendation serves as guidance for the City Commission, which ultimately will make the final decision on whether the project wins the necessary rezoning and planning approvals.

The Planning Commission heard arguments for and against the project Monday evening, including about an hour of public comment. Several residents who live near the proposed project spoke in opposition, including Bonnie Johnson. Johnson, who lives in the nearby Indian Hills neighborhood and is a former planning commissioner, expressed concerns that the project would bring noise and the potential for vacant retail space, both of which she said would decrease property values.

“I’ve invested almost all I have in my home, and my dream is to maintain my property values and my quiet neighborhood,” Johnson said.

In considering the effect of the project on nearby neighborhoods, several commissioners noted that the city plan had already designated the southeast corner of the intersection of SLT and U.S. 59 for commercial use, albeit auto-related.

“I understand there are folks that are worried about property values and quality of life in the Indian Hills neighborhood, but I do think you’re getting an upgrade from what you would otherwise have had,” Britton said.

A significantly larger development project for the site was proposed last year but never won approval, in part because of concerns it would jeopardize the city’s investment in Rock Chalk Park, which includes a commercially zoned area.

If approved by the City Commission, the timeline for the project would have construction beginning in the spring of 2016 and completed in summer 2017.