United Equities Inc. took the first steps to develop a new Fry Street, filing plans for a new retail center in the middle of an ec­lectic student hangout across from the Uni­­versity of North Texas.

Plans released by the city of Denton plan­ning department Tuesday show the same proposed Fry Street development as preliminary site plans revealed Nov. 28: a corner drugstore at Hickory and Fry streets where The Tomato now stands; a three-story parking garage; two restaurants with drive-through windows; and a strip of buildings along a proposed boulevard through the 3.8-acre block bordered by Hickory, Welch, Oak and Fry streets.

The only existing buildings on the plan include Cool Beans, Campus Barbershop and several buildings owned by Joe Nor­mile — none of which are owned by United Equities — and a long-vacant former grocery store facing Welch Street, which is owned by the Houston-area developer.

The proposed development, known as Fry Street Village, is expected to feature an older architectural design reminiscent of the buildings at Hickory and Fry when they were built in the 1920s, according to Tim Sandifer, project manager with United Equities.

“I think it’s going to look like a Fry Street in 1925 with some embellishments,” Sandifer said. “We’re going back there with something that’s going to be very exciting for the city of Denton.”

Sandifer indicated he hoped to reveal more details soon about specifics in the development.

“I think people are going to be happy,” he said.

Mike Cochran, a former Denton City Council member and a local historian, said his first impression is that the plans filed with the city reflected no changes from the developer’s original concept.

“The input from thousands of citizens have fallen on deaf ears,” Cochran wrote in an e-mail. “It [the development] looks like a highly intense development in the middle of an area that already has traffic problems. This is not Houston and hopefully Oak Street will not turn into Loop 288.

“I question whether it is a good idea to have a fast-food restaurant with a drive-through lane across the street from the historic district and residential neighborhood,” Cochran wrote. “This is not good sound community planning, and I am hopeful that the City Council will go to bat for Denton citizens by denying special interest exceptions to the zoning ordinance.”

Chuck Voellinger, a member of Save Fry Street, a local organization formed by students and residents after the property purchase was announced last summer, said the group disagrees with the developer’s plans “100 percent.”

“They have no intentions of saving those buildings. That’s no surprise,” Voellinger said.

The group has met several times with the developer in hopes of saving a portion of the eclectic area built between 1909 and 1926.

Earlier this month, several businesses on Fry Street — The Tomato and Bagheri’s Italian Restaurant, among others — received notices to vacate their property by Jan. 31. Sandifer said notices were sent out to all business owners to begin talking about when they would leave.

“We’re in the very beginning of the process,” he said, adding that construction could start this summer.

Several businesses have lease agreements until the summer, officials have said.

“I suspect they are looking to move,” Sandifer added.

Mike “Ski” Slusarski, who has owned the pizza eatery at the corner of Fry and Hickory streets since 1996, said his mission was to find out “how long we can stay and finding somewhere else to go.”

He planned to continue meetings with Sandifer on whether his business would eventually be housed in the Fry Street Village.

A third business on the block — The Corkscrew, a beer and wine shop — has at least two more years on a lease agreement. Sandifer indicated plans were set up to leave that corner as is while developing other portions of the property.

Voellinger still hopes to convince the developer to keep the “L-shaped” structures from The Corkscrew at Oak and Fry streets to Cool Beans restaurant/bar on Hickory Street.

“We’re not going to stop fighting until we’ve got assurances he’s going to save those buildings,” he said. “I don’t think it’s too much to ask.”

Cochran indicated that Save Fry Street has asked permission from United Equities owner Buster Freedman to have an architect and engineer from the National Trust for Historic Preservation inspect the historic structures and give a professional assessment as to their stability whether they may be economically renovated.

“We are awaiting a response from Mr. Freedman,” Cochran wrote.

Mayor Pro Tem Pete Kamp said she still hoped the issue about saving the historic businesses could be resolved.

“They could still save those buildings,” Kamp said. “The buildings haven’t come down yet.”

DAWN COBB can be reached at 940-566-6879. Her e-mail address is dcobb@dentonrc.com .

The Denton planning department, after receiving permits filed by developers, reviews all documentation to make sure everything has been submitted and signed, and is on the correct forms. Comments from staff regarding the applications filed by United Equities Inc. will be due Feb. 9. That is the review that compares the submission to city codes. At that time, city officials can request changes to the plans or additional information. Once staff gives approval, the applications are scheduled for the Planning and Zoning Commission for review before going on to the City Council.