Ridgeland officials have approved the Renaissance shopping center as an overlay district, which will allow developers to add certain amenities to the shopping center that would otherwise not be permissible.
During a recent board of aldermen meeting, a public hearing was held about the petition.
“It went fine. It passed unanimously,” Mayor Gene McGee said. “The only thing that was added, with which the developer had no problem, there was a maximum square footage for a luxurious, boutique nail salon, and we put in a minimum. It was no big deal.”
Some residents were worried that the nail salon would be too small and not high quality without a minimum square footage requirement.
The minimum square footage for the nail salon, if one is put in the Renaissance, is 2,500, and the maximum square footage is 4,000.
Officials also specified that there can only be one brew pub and one craft beer sales establishment, requested by Ward 1 Alderman Ken Heard.
“This is similar to what was done to the overlay district for the Township,” McGee said.
“Normally an overlay district is done at the beginning of development to establish elevated architectural guidelines,” Heard said. “It just gives the city more control over what develops for that project.”
Because Renaissance has already been built, making it an overlay district at this point in time is unusual, Heard told the Sun late last year.
“This one is unusual in that it’s established after the fact. The original intent from the developers is to get the right for additional uses that might not be otherwise possible.”
Among possible additions, Heard said a new, upscale theater might become part of the shopping center, along with two drive-through food locations.
A drive-through Starbucks coffee shop is already located at the Renaissance.
“Starbucks is one of the three they were originally asking for,” Heard said. “There are two more potentially in the mix.”
One would be strictly fast-food, and the other would be a casual restaurant with drive-through amenities.
“Some of the discussion is about where to put them. I was not wanting that kind of use on Highland Colony,” Heard said. “I think it’s more appropriate for the Frontage Road side.”
HOWEVER, OTHER items will require more discussion and consideration from the board, according to Heard.
“The aldermen and I have talked to (developer Andrew Mattiace) about shortening the list… There was a daycare concept talked about. We really want to make sure that’s nailed down… The developer felt like that could have some potential applications for people that work at office buildings in the area.”
Other discussions have included an arcade and gaming restaurant and a bowling alley.
Additionally, the board has asked the developer to address future development in terms of architecture.
“We want to make sure we have additional control and (the district) develops the same. This would be for the present owner or whoever might own it in the future. It gives us control either way,” Heard said. “New buildings and uses will be developed with the same architectural standards as what’s in there now. The developers seem to have no problem with that.”
The overlay district will only apply to the existing Renaissance shopping center and will not include Renaissance phase 3 (Costco) or the Township shopping center, which is already its own overlay district.
“Just that development — the original Renaissance and the north end, where they haven’t developed… That’s where most of (the new amenities) have to go.”
