Stonington -- The Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a virtual public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday on a special permit application to construct an 82-unit apartment building on the former Campbell Grain building site in downtown Pawcatuck.

Information on accessing the virtual meeting is at https://www.stonington-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3851/f/uploads/9.15.20_nph_legal_virtual.pdf

Plans call for a five-story, 116,000-square-foot building building with parking under the building and on site and a riverfront walkway with public access. The almost two-acre site is at the end of Coggswell Street, is bordered by the Amtrak line and has 240 feet of frontage along the Pawcatuck River.

A total of 70% of the units would be considered affordable housing under state law. The means Winn Development Co. LP of Boston does not have to comply with the zoning requirements in place for the neighborhood.

In order to reject the application, the commission would have to prove that health and safety concerns outweigh the need for affordable housing.

According to a report planned for the commission by Town Planner Keith Brynes, the project does not comply with various requirement of the zoning regulations, among these being maximum density (16 units allowed compared to 82 proposed), maximum height (50 feet allowed compared to the 52 feet, 9 inches proposed) as well as setback requirements and maximum floor area ratio.

The Economic Development Commission, which has supported the $30 million project, has said affordable housing is needed here to meet a growing demand in the region.

The EDC has also said the project will generate $500,000 in tax revenue for the town and will enhance downtown Pawcatuck as a walkable neighborhood with proximity to shops, restaurants, parks, the library, transportation, and other amenities.

The plan provides 92 on-site parking spots, 10 more than required. Brynes wrote in his report that the building would be the largest in downtown Pawcatuck in both height and scale.

“However, due to its location it is not particularly visible from West Broad Street or High Street in Westerly. The building is designed to generally be reminiscent of a mill building and is sited into the hill to reduce its perceived massing," wrote Brynes.

The Architectural Review Board is scheduled to review the application at its virtual meeting Monday.