Representatives from the development group behind KTen Crossing, a proposed shopping center in south Lawrence, answered questions at a town hall meeting Thursday about tenants, environmental effects and any ramifications the project could have on downtown retailers.

North Carolina-based development group Collett held the public meeting — which drew about 50 people to the Carnegie Building — just days before the City Commission considers a rezoning request that would allow the project to move forward.

Chris Challis, a project manager for KTen Crossing, asked the mostly supportive crowd to contact commissioners to encourage their approval.

“I don’t know if we’d be here if it weren’t for the embrace that we’ve gotten from many of you,” Challis said. “We’ve had some downs, especially last year, and we might not have stuck it out.”

A site rendering of the proposed shopping center near the South Lawrence Trafficway.

In 2014, the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission denied a request from Collett for a 540,000-square-foot retail area named Southpoint Shopping Center.

The planning commission voted 6-2 in August to recommend approval for zoning and planning changes required for the smaller KTen Crossing, which would be located at the intersection of South Iowa Street and the South Lawrence Trafficway.

City commissioners will decide Tuesday whether to accept the planning commission’s recommendation and change the current zoning from residential to regional commercial. The action would also require a change to Horizon 2020, the city’s long-range plan, which designates the location as having auto-related commercial uses in the future.

In his presentation Thursday, Challis said KTen Crossing would serve as a better southern gateway to the city than “more unsightly uses” such as a truck stop, car dealership or other possible developments allowed under Horizon 2020’s current zoning designation.

“We think the transition from going from a land-use category allowing something like a truck stop to a first-class shopping center is more appropriate,” Challis said.

One attendee asked whether any contracts had been signed with possible tenants.

Challis said no, but that the group has received letters of intent from Academy Sports and Outdoors, Fresh Market, HomeGoods and Old Navy. He said Collett would also have the ability to choose between Designer Shoe Warehouse and Off Broadway Shoes.

They’re the type of stores Lawrence residents are traveling outside of the city to shop at, Challis said.

He went on to say the retailers would create 442 jobs and generate $1.27 million in sales tax revenue for the city. Those numbers were based on a study done by Richard Caplan & Associates, a Lawrence consulting firm.

When asked about how the project would affect downtown retailers, Challis said the development group avoided creating a “lifestyle center,” which typically includes boutique shops and imitates the feel of a city’s main street.

Another attendee brought up the concern that additional stores could put existing, nearby retailers out of business. He specifically asked about competition between Academy Sports and Outdoors and Dick’s Sporting Goods, which is located farther north on Iowa Street.

“In my hometown, we have Dick’s on one side of the street and Academy on the other,” Challis said. “Our tenants want to be here because those other guys are here. Retailing is a science. Our retailers know they are here, and they want to locate next to them.”

Construction of the shopping center would not affect the Baker Wetlands, Challis said. The area around a stream to the south of the development would be left as open space.

To one attendee’s question about green building practices, Challis answered that the development would not be built to LEED-certified standards because of the expense.

It’s unsure how much Collett would contribute to public infrastructure in the proposed development area.

The land, south of North 1250 Road, is within city limits but currently is being used as farmland.

When asked about any contribution to the infrastructure, Challis reiterated that Collett was not asking for any public incentives for the project. He said an estimated cost would be known during the project’s engineering phase.

“We expect to pay our fair share for the public infrastructure,” he said. “The property is in the city currently, so the city is committed to provide services to it when it develops.”

If the zoning and planning changes gain approval Tuesday, Collett hopes to start engineering and design work this winter and break ground on the project in summer 2016. It’s estimated the shopping center would open in fall 2017, about the same time the South Lawrence Trafficway is anticipated to open.