HATFIELD — An effort to convert the vacant Center School into senior condominiums moved forward Wednesday night when the Planning Board voted unanimously to issue a special permit for redevelopment of the century-old village center landmark.
Developers Barry L. Roberts of Amherst and partner Donald Southwick of Leverett will convert the space into eight condominium units for buyers 55 years and older.
Roberts said after the meeting he hopes to start construction this summer, probably in June or July.
Plans call for two one-bedroom units, two two-bedroom units, and four one-bedroom units with extra den space. There will be four units on each of the building’s two floors.
The exterior of the former school will remain largely the same, with upgrades to the windows and new landscaping surrounding the building, Roberts told the board.
Plans also call for garage bays and balconies for each unit facing playing fields Smith Academy uses.
The Center School parking lot will be on private property. Spectators at Smith Academy sporting events will have to seek parking elsewhere.
Smith Academy athletic director David Keir wanted assurances from the Planning Board that spectators, landscaping crews and emergency vehicles would still have access to the playing fields. He asked for improvements to a path on the south end of the property.
“Whatever access you provide it has to be able to accommodate an emergency vehicle,” Planning Board Chairman Bob Wagner said, adding that he would help Keir consult with the Select Board. “I’m not sure we want to have a road as much as a well-graded and maintained path.”
The plans are the culmination of a years-long effort to save the former school from demolition. At the annual Town Meeting in May, residents voted 222-16 to save Center School.
Jack Suntrup can be reached at jsuntrup@gazettenet.com.