Orchard Supply Hardware is getting ready to submit plans to the city of Campbell to move into the Hamilton Plaza Shopping Center.

If the company’s proposal makes its way through city commissions and staff, the hardware store would move into the building at 1760 S. Bascom Ave that formerly housed OfficeMax.

Orchard Supply proposes transforming the 28,520-square-foot building by expanding a mezzanine by 8,000 square feet and increasing the building’s height to 30 feet. There are plans for a nursery.

The plans were shared Aug. 22 during a public study session with the planning commission. Derek K. Hunter Jr., shopping center owner and president of Hunter Properties, said his company was excited to have the hardware company consider moving into the plaza.

“We think they are a very responsible business,” he told the commission.

The 12-acre shopping center includes a Whole Foods Market, CVS, Ross and other stores. Residential neighborhoods line the back of the shopping center.

Hunter told the commission he’s owned the plaza center for nearly 30 years.

Nearby resident Wayne Prescott told the commission he was pleased to hear Orchard Supply Hardware is considering moving in.

“I’m happy to hear OSH might be my neighbor,” Prescott said. “The OfficeMax didn’t utilize the best of the parking area, and consequently the south parking area has become a place where vagrants gather, where drug deals come down, where used cars are unloaded. I’m looking forward to a new tenant that will be more responsible and have more of a presence that I think will help us overcome what I see.”

Given the size of the proposed building, a traffic impact analysis will be done to see if traffic will increase if OSH moves in.

The commission was generally supportive of the hardware store coming to the city. Commissioner Yvonne Kendall said store management might want to consider designating a loading zone for customers picking up larger and bulky items.

Commissioners also recommended having outdoor displays be in a designated area so as not to take up parking spaces. The shopping center’s property manager told the commission the back loading area does not allow people there from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. so as to not disturb residents and to keep the area clean of debris.

Commissioner Phil Reynolds recommended OSH use shopping carts with wheels that lock up if moved off the property.

“I don’t want shopping carts to become the staple out in the neighborhood,” he said.

OSH can now submit a formal application to the city. The plan will be reviewed by the commission and staff in the future.