The city has given initial approval to vacate a portion of a street to provide space for additional parking for the future Crossroads Senior Village in Seymour.

A stretch of South Pine Street between West Laurel and West Oak streets will be eliminated to facilitate the orderly development of the senior multifamily apartment community.

Those 64-unit apartments are to be constructed at 500 S. Poplar Street on vacant property south of Schneck Medical Center. The four-story building will have 24 one-bedroom units and 40 two-bedroom apartments.

The Seymour Plan Commission voted 9-0 in a special meeting Monday to give the request a favorable recommendation. It will now go before the city council for final approval.

Darryl Unsworth with developer Thrive Alliance said that organization purchased the property to the west of South Pine Street to provide stormwater management for the project.

Vacating South Pine Street allows for appropriate green space and parking for the development, he said.

No one from the public spoke in favor of or against the request.

Building Commissioner Jeremy Gray said the city will have to be granted an easement to the vacated street because of a sewer line that runs beneath it. Gray said Duke Energy also will require the same property easement.

“That means no building or structure can be built over that area,” Gray said.

Besides parking spaces, no construction is planned for the vacated street, Unsworth said. The proposed L-shaped apartment building will be located on the northeast corner of the South Poplar Street property.

Unsworth said he had no problem with the city’s request and would rather grant easements than have to relocate utilities.

Commissioner John Reinhart said he didn’t want to vacate the street if the project wasn’t going to happen.

Unsworth said funding, including state-awarded tax credits, is in place for the project, and they are hoping to have building permits granted this spring.

“We’re going to build it,” Unsworth said.