'Clark Commons' Proposes 22 Stores at Former Gypsum Site

The Clark Planning Board will hear a proposal Thursday night from Krame Development, a Paramus company that has submitted a plan to build Clark's new town center on the former US Gypsum paper plant site. 

The proposal for the "Clark Commons" is 22 retail spaces housed in seven buildings on the 28-acre site. The plan proposes building facades featuring stone and brick finishes. The site would provide 1,288 parking spaces and have three entrances—a main entrance across from Hyatt Hills Golf Course, another entrance on Raritan Road and a third on Walnut Avenue.

Thursday's meeting is open to the public and will be held at Arthur L. Johnson High School at 7:30 p.m. Plans for the project are available for review at town hall.

In March, Clark's master plan to create a new town center, prepared by O'Connor and Planner Kevin O'Brien of Shamrock Enterprises, zoned a new "Limited Commercial Industrial" district for the Gypsum property (which was previously zoned for industrial use) and the ShopRite side of Central Avenue from Raritan Road to the Parkway circle.

The vision presented in the master plan is for an environmentally friendly commercial center with retail and office space in "a park like setting with tree-lined streets" and with "a central architectural focus such as a fountain, plaza, clock tower or landscaped boulevard."

Many residents attended the master plan meetings and several voiced concerns about how the new development would affect traffic, whether a town center was the best use of the property, and what sorts of stores might rent there.

Following approval of the master plan, council adopted an ordinance defining the LCI zone in May. 

Check back on Friday for our coverage of the Thursday night meeting.

Read more:

What Stores Would You Want in Clark's New Town Center?

Clark's New Town Center Zoning Approved, Now Wait Begins For a Developer

Clark Introduces Zoning Ordinance for New Town Center

Clark Says Yes to Plan for Town Center on Former Gypsum Site

Mayor Responds to Gypsum Rezoning Criticism; Public Hearing Tonight at ALJ

Clark Residents Voice Concerns About Proposal for New Town Center on Gypsum Site

A New Town Center on Old Gypsum Property, Suggests Master Plan Report

Mayor Bonaccorso Asks: What Do Residents Want Built at Gypsum Property?

What Should Take the U.S. Gypsum Factory's Place in Clark?

What do you think of the plan for a new town center? Tell us in the comments.