Roosevelt Cooper will have to wait until May 21 to learn whether he can open a business at 1720 Clay St.

The Vicksburg Board of Mayor and Aldermen Thursday tabled a decision on Cooper’s appeal of a Board of Zoning Appeals decision, saying it needed time to review information that Cooper presented at his appeal.

The zoning board on April 3 denied Cooper’s request for a variance to the parking requirements under the city’s zoning ordinance because he failed to show how he would handle off-site parking.

“I’ve heard some things today from Mr. Cooper that I haven’t heard before,” North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield said. “There’s some of this I don’t understand. We need to sit and look at this situation as a board.”

Cooper, 1114 Fayette St., wants to open a center for visual and performing arts, dance hall, community learning center, specialty school, indoor recreation, eatery and participant sports at the building at Clay and Fifth North streets, which is in a C-4 commercial zone.

To operate the business, he needed a variance to the city’s off-street parking regulations, which required him to have a total of 54 parking spaces. He wanted to reduce the number of spaces to zero.

Thursday, Cooper asked to change the variance from 54 to 29, saying he had a letter from property owner Hye McKenzie letting him use the 29 parking spaces on the property. Zoning administrator Dalton McCarty said the letter was required with Cooper’s application and was not submitted when he applied for the variance.

McKenzie owns the Tranquility Day Spa and Hair Salon, which is in the front part of the building facing Clay Street.

Cooper is leasing the 2,700-square-foot rear of the building, which faces Fifth North Street.

He said he will use parking areas downtown, including the public parking deck at Walnut and South Streets, the Grand Station Hotel parking deck on Mulberry Street, and the Trustmark Bank parking deck at Clay and Walnut. He said a shuttle service would take customers to his business, but did not name a service. He did not say if he had permission to use the private parking decks.

Attempts to contact officials with Grand Station and Trustmark about the parking decks were unsuccessful.

Cooper said the building would be used for programs for special needs children, children’s dance programs and other youth activities during the day. He will operate a dance club for adults from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. No alcohol would be served, he said.

Several business and property owners adjacent to, or near, Cooper’s proposed business said they were concerned about the night club’s potential effect on their property and residents living in the area.

“I can assure you no one will park on your property,” Cooper said. “I guarantee you no one will get into my club if they park on your property.”

Cooper operated Swag Stars, a teen club at 1925 Washington St., that was closed by the city in August after a 15-year-old boy was shot in the leg during an argument at the club. Albert Buchanan, 16, 365 Drayton Road, was charged with aggravated assault in the case.

Police Chief Walter Armstrong said during a hearing on the club that police had to deal with calls of fights among teens, shots fired in the vicinity of the club and adults being at the club.