A developer from Scranton is hoping to build a commercial complex at the intersection of Lower Smith Gap Road and Covered Bridge Road in Lower Towamensing Township.

Jay Cooperman, a managing member of Dynamic Capital Properties LLC, said the complex would be called Blue Mountain Plaza. The 5-acre lot would consist of three buildings: a convenience store with a gas station and a building for a car wash beside it, then one large, two-story building containing a restaurant, three retail spaces with one of them being a drive-thru restaurant, and 15 apartments on the second floor.

“There are a great number of visitors to the ski resort throughout the year - all seasons, and the immediate area is lacking some of these conveniences,” Cooperman said. “We believe Blue Mountain Plaza will greatly serve the visitors of the ski resort, the overall area, and those who commute over the mountain to and from work each day. It is a fairly primary route for many people to and from the Lehigh Valley daily, and it will bring both tax revenue and a nice convenience to many people.”

The developer’s plan also includes two entrance/exits and two stormwater detention basins. Cooperman said they are hoping that public sewer will come into the area sometime in the next three years. If it doesn’t, then they have a contingency plan for on-site waste.

There has already been some interest in the retail space, Cooperman said. He has received inquiries from a ski shop, hair salon, and a fishing and outdoor retail operator.

Although he would welcome a well-known franchise to the development, he thinks it might be better suited for smaller, regional or family-owned businesses.

“We would love to have a Wawa or Sheetz, but we believe the traffic count is too low for a large operation like those - potentially a Turkey Hill,” he said. And as for the restaurant, he said, “I do believe that a nice, affordable family restaurant would succeed in a brand-new, comfortable and welcoming environment.”

The plans hit a snag in August when the township’s zoning officer, Duane Dellecker denied the zoning permit because it did not meet the requirements set by the zoning ordinances. The parcel is located in an area zoned Village Center or V-C, and some of the proposed uses are not permitted in V-C.

Dellecker’s letter denying the permit said a gas station and a drive-thru restaurant are not permitted in that zoning district. The zoning does allow for a car wash, retail stores, convenience store, restaurants and apartments.

There is also an issue with the number of apartments. The zoning ordinance requires a minimum lot area of 4,600 square feet for each apartment. For 15 apartments, the developer would need to have 69,000 square feet.

The code also requires that each use on a site have 1 acre. One acre is 43,560 square feet. The developer is asking for a variance to allow them to reduce it to 2,900 square feet per apartment, which would give them the 15 apartments in 1 acre.

This 1-acre per use rule is causing problems for the developer with the overall plan.

Since the site is 5 acres, it can hold five uses. Dellecker said there are eight uses: apartments, restaurant, three retail spaces, car wash, convenience store and gas station. The site would have to be at least 8 acres.

The developer is requesting a variance and asking that the retail spaces be considered one use with 1 acre required, and the 15 apartments with 1-acre lot area. Next, the acreage be reduced from 1 acre to 0.75 acres for the restaurant, drive-thru restaurant, and the convenience store and its gas station being considered one use, since the area with the gas pumps is for the convenience store to sale gas.

Dellecker also said the plan doesn’t meet the zoning requirements in regard to the percentage of impervious ground caused by the development. The code says it can be a maximum of 35%. This development is at 47%. This is another issue the developer is asking for a variance.

The Lower Towamensing Township Zoning Hearing Board will be reviewing the developer’s appeal at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the municipal building.