Stonington — The Planning and Zoning Commission has approved a special permit for a Boston developer to construct an 82-unit apartment building on the former Campbell Grain building site in downtown Pawcatuck.

The commission voted unanimously to approve the permit for the project after a virtual public hearing last week.

Plans call for a five-story, 116,000-square-foot 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. This means Winn Development Co. LP of Boston did not have to comply with all zoning requirements in place for the neighborhood. It also meant it would have been difficult to reject the application because the commission would have had to prove that health and safety concerns outweigh the need for affordable housing.

The project does not comply with various requirement of the zoning regulations, among these being maximum density and maximum height 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 help revitalize downtown Pawcatuck as a walkable neighborhood with proximity to shops, restaurants, parks, the library, transportation, and other amenities.