The mayor of Jersey City wants to limit the amount of chain stores that are allowed in the downtown area.

"When you just have chain store after chain store, an Applebee's after a Starbucks after a chain store gym, then every city looks the same," says Mayor Steven Fulop. "It's not something we want to do in Jersey City.

Under the proposed plan, no more than 30 percent of business space could be leased to chains, including retails, bars, restaurants and even financial services.

Mayor Fulop says that as Jersey City becomes more developed, chains are trying to come in and push out mom-and-pop shops.

The plan is being criticized by some business and real estate groups that say it would hurt the local economy.

The city council will need to vote on the plan before it can go into effect.