JACKSON TWP — Developers passed the first hurdle for a new mixed housing development off Tollgate School Road as township supervisors Thursday night approved preliminary plans for the two residential housing plans.

The new residential development is proposed by Tollgate Associates that includes The Villas of Dutch Creek, consisting of 160 townhouses, and Old Hickory Highlands, that includes 63 single-family homes. The developments were first approved in 2006, but weren’t built.

The property is vacant, but previously housed a small laboratory.

Architect Steven Victor told the supervisors last month during the public hearing on the preliminary plans that the development would be built in several phases, but both the single-family homes and the town homes would be marketed and constructed concurrently.

Access to both housing developments will be from Tollgate School Road off Route 19. Both plans will include cul-de-sac streets and sidewalks in the housing developments and about 44 percent of the acreage will remain open space.

The developer now will have to meet with the township’s planning commission and the supervisors for final plan review before construction begins.

Victor said the developers hope to have construction begin early next year.

The Villas of Dutch Creek and Old Hickory Highlands originally had been submitted to the supervisors in 2004 and approved in 2006. They included a total of 256 townhouse units in both of the developments.

Those plans were never developed.