Clayton — The Planning Board has backed a sprawling commercial project at U.S. 70 Business and Shotwell Road.

Zimmer Development Co. of Wilmington and Plaza Development Co., Shotwell Road Partners and the Walthom Group, all of Clayton, plan to build on the 111-acre site. Their plans call for retail and office space, a bank, national chain restaurants and a home-improvement store.

“Instead of traveling and sending business out to Raleigh, Garner or Smithfield ... the growing customer base in Clayton will have more shopping options closer to home,” said Adam Tucker, development manager for Zimmer Development. “Because of the growth in the Clayton market, there are retailers that find this area attractive and want to be part of a well-thought-out, architecturally-integrated, master planned development.”

The 111 acres are in three quadrants, and Zimmer Development’s 50-acre tract alone will cost more than $25 million to develop, yielding the county and town some $319,000 yearly in property-tax receipts, Tucker said. Also, the county and town can expect more than $1.3 million in yearly sales-tax receipts, he said.

In all, The Shoppes at Little Creek, anchored by the home-improvement store, would create more than 700 jobs, Tucker said.

“If approved by the Town Council, we could start construction in late 2008 or early 2009, and it will likely take one year to build,” Tucker said. “The goal would be to open it all at once, but market conditions will dictate the schedule.”

To make getting into and out of the shopping center easier, the developers plan a host of traffic improvements. Already, congestion at 70 Business and Shotwell is heavy in the morning, especially at Bojangles, but Zimmer Development has a remedy for that, Tucker said.

“One thing we are doing is moving the Bojangles entrance north on Shotwell Road where it will become a part of our center’s entrance and ease the congestion close to the intersection of Shotwell and Business 70,” Tucker said.

The developers will add turn lanes into the shopping center from both U.S. 70 Business and Shotwell Road, Tucker said. “We will be able to get that decelerating traffic out of way so it doesn’t affect the flow of traffic,” he said.

An extension of Main Street will wrap around the back of the shopping center, Tucker said. “Essentially, all traffic coming south on Shotwell Road will have the opportunity to make the right turn early and use an alternate route to flow onto U.S. 70 Business West,” he said.

Planning Board Chairman Frank Price noted that the town’s strategic-growth plan called for more commercial projects. “Main Street has been improved on the east side to connect with 70 Business,” he said. “This will provide a connector to the west side of town, which will be beneficial to the continued interest in the development of downtown Clayton and keeping that as a viable entity.”