By PAT GOUDEY O’BRIEN

Changes are in the planning stages for the Thayer School building, which houses the Department of Motor Vehicles office in Burlington’s New North End.

Plans for the building and land surrounding it, now owned by the state, are for the property to be transferred to a group of organizations that will convert it to new commercial uses and a mix of senior and family housing units, said Robin Orr, director of property management services for the state.

The Department of Motor Vehicles will remain in the building, and new tenant spaces will be developed as the project progresses, said Orr.

The old school building, part of which is registered as a historical structure, isn’t fully occupied. Neighborhood residents expressed a desire for the property to be redeveloped, with the possibility of bringing in new housing as well as services and commercial resources not currently available among the businesses in the area, Orr said.

A consortium including Cathedral Square Corporation, Eric Farrell Real Estate and the Champlain Housing Trust has put together a proposal for the school building and the approximately six acres of land that surround it, said Nancy Eldridge, executive director of Cathedral Square.

Cathedral Square will oversee development of a senior housing component. Farrell will develop new commercial spaces and business options in keeping with the nature and scale of the surrounding area. The Champlain Housing Trust will bring in new family housing, responding to the neighborhood interest, Eldridge said.

A portion of the Thayer School that isn’t included in the historical register may be demolished to make way for new commercial construction and housing, but the historic section of the building will have its footprint and facade preserved, said Orr.

“We’re figuring out the footprint and how the intergenerational mix will work,” said Eldridge. “We don’t anticipate housing attached to the commercial building, but what we build will be in response to the market.”

New commercial space could include retail, professional offices or other services requested by neighbors, she said. As many as 80 to 100 new housing units for seniors and families are under consideration, she said.

The project is expected to be pedestrian-friendly and include pathways and roadways integrating the new residential areas with existing shopping centers, offices and neighborhoods, she said.

“And, the building will be as green as we can make it using modern technologies,” Eldridge added.

Funding will be sought through tax credits from the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Section 202 rental subsidy programs and other sources currently being pursued, Eldridge said.

Project details are still being worked out, said Orr. Eldridge said projects of this type have taken as many as three years to complete. A clear description of what the neighborhood will look like when completed isn’t yet available; local residents remain part of the planning process, Eldridge said.

“We have an agreement in principle for the transfer of ownership of the property,” said Orr. “We’re still crossing the t’s and dotting the i’s on the details of that agreement.” ?