WESTBROOK - A home of their own.

That's what VISTA outreach members in good standing can soon look forward to-as long as the Zoning Commission agrees to change the zone for 1961 Boston Post Road from neighborhood commercial to planned residential development district (PRDD).

If a permit and PRDD are approved, a 15,000-square-foot structure with 24 apartment-style units, divided between one- and two-bedroom condominiums, would rise there. The structure would include a single point where residents would enter the building. And to allow residents of each condominium to socialize, the building would include a common space area where residents could gather.

In this independent-living model, the condominium units are owned by parents of VISTA outreach members who reside there. The parent-owners of the building's condominiums also run its condominium association for the benefit of the residents.

This condominium concept for VISTA members as a living arrangement has been proven successful in Clinton. For the past nine years, a similar 24-unit condominium has operated in Clinton's Canterbury Commons. The Westbrook condominium proposal is similar in size and concept but adds one new feature, the common space.

"The reason we are proposing this for Westbrook is that the concept has proven so successful in Clinton. It engages the VISTA members with the community and connects the residents with one another like a family. So we want to replicate this successful [approach] in Westbrook," said Helen Bosch, executive director of VISTA Vocational & Life Skills, a non-profit organization.

Bosch explained that only VISTA outreach members in good standing with a demonstrated ability to live in the community without supervision would be eligible to live in the condominiums.

"VISTA will provide the outreach members that live there with life skills instruction, employment support, counseling, and community-based support for their recreation, transportation, and medical appointments needs," she said. "The future residents will lead full and active lives in the community that include employment, volunteer activities, educational opportunities, and exercise."

The nearly two-acre parcel for which this development is planned is on the southern side of the Boston Post Road at Chapman Beach Road.

Since the condominium units in the proposed building would be privately owned, owners would owe property taxes. The building would not be owned by a non-profit organization, though VISTA would provide independent living skills support for its clients who will reside there.

"The parents who will own the condominium units and run the condo association are invested in making it successful in the community and as a wonderful environment for their sons and daughters," said Bosch.

On April 22, the Zoning Commission opened its public hearing on the project application for a PRDD. This hearing will continue at the Commission's next meeting on Tuesday, May 27.

The Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commission was expected to discuss whether the proposed project would have an impact on wetlands at its next meeting on May 6, after press time.