The Marrad Group Inc. wants to build 92 townhouses and 62 apartments on 12.67 acres at Ward Avenue and Ninth Street, while Keystone Corp. and McShane Corp. want to build an 840,000-square-foot building and a 530,000-square-foot building at the Keystone Pacific Business Park in west Patterson.

The housing development would also need approval from the City Council. The industrial development ruling would be final if not appealed.

Plans submitted to the city’s community development department indicate the housing project would include one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments and two- and three-bedroom town homes. The apartments will be part of the second phase of construction. The first phase will consist of 43 townhouses.

The project has received objections from Patterson Unified School District officials, who want developers to prepare an environmental impact report — an expensive and lengthy document that lists the project’s negative effects on the community and possible ways to mitigate them. However, a report to the commission from the city planning department says the district’s concerns are unfounded.

The commission had reviewed the project in August 2006 and rejected it because it was not satisfied with the amount and location of open space. At that time, developers said the district requested an EIR to extract more money from the project.

To address the commission’s concerns, the developers removed duplexes from the plans and reworked the open space.

Meanwhile, Keystone Corp. and McShane Corp. have proposed two new industrial buildings at Keystone Pacific Business Park to attract tenants to the west Patterson complex.

If approved, the buildings will join two other massive buildings that Kohl’s and Longs Drugs Stores use for distribution centers. Unlike those centers, though, the buildings would be built without tenants already lined up.

Developers told city officials in a letter that this would allow them to compete with industrial centers in other cities that have readily available buildings for tenants.

The bulk of the studies typically needed for a large development have already been conducted because the buildings would go in a previously approved business park. As a result, the planning commission approval is the only authorization developers need. However, the ruling can be appealed to the City Council.

The project likely would be split into two phases, with the smaller of the two going in first. The larger facility would be the second largest in the business park.

Developers said they intend to start construction as soon as possible.