SOMERSET — The Zoning Board of Appeals last week approved a special permit for Sherwood Building Company to convert the former Wilbur School into a 15-unit apartment complex.
"I think it's a fabulous reuse of a property in Somerset that has long gone by the wayside," ZBA member Joseph Fingliss Jr. said. "It's a win-win."
Alex Stylos, principal owner of Sherwood, told the board he followed the instructions given at a previous meeting, hosting a site plan review with a favorable review from the Planning Board.
ZBA Acting Chairman James Pimental asked Stylos to elaborate on the scope of work to be done on the property. Stylos said his company does historic restoration of buildings for urban renewal developments. He said he tries to preserve the historic character of the buildings in the process.
Other than a handicap-accessible ramp to be added, Stylos said the remainder of the building exterior would stay the same. He said the building will be restored with work that brings it up to building codes. Windows will be modified to make it easier to escape in the event of a fire. Brickwork will be re-pointed where needed. Shingles will need to be replaced, but the rubber roof of the building could last another 10 years, Stylos said.
"It's not in bad shape," Stylos said of the building.
Built in 1920, the former school at 816 Brayton Point Road, is about 23,000 square feet, sits on 4.3 acres and has 300 feet of frontage. The plan calls for 10 one-bedroom and five two-bedroom apartments. Stylos would be the owner.
The playground on site will remain open to the public once work on the apartment complex is finished, Stylos said.
As for the work itself, Stylos said 90 percent of people hired for the project would be local, including a Fall River architect and Fairhaven plumbing and heating business. Sherwood is based in Fall River.
The ZBA voted 3-0 in favor of a special permit, opening a 20-day appeal period. Nobody at the hearing spoke against the proposal or asked any questions.
Stylos said the next steps for the project would be to apply for a building permit and clean up the property He said he has an engineering plan to install a sprinkler system in the building.
He said that with approval of the special permit, the project had overcome a "huge hurdle."