Class will be in session for a small Boston-based college in Taunton?s Myles Standish Industrial Park come fall semester, as a result of a City Council vote Tuesday night.
Representatives of Bay State College and Field Engineering Co. Inc., which submitted the petition on behalf of the school, as well as the owner of the 101 Industrial Park Drive building were on hand for the council?s unanimous vote.
The vote to allow educational use within an industrial zone followed a brief public-input session.
Bay State is now free to establish a satellite campus inside the building, originally built to be leased as medical office space.
Retired Taunton economic development director Dick Shafer was the only one to speak out as a member of the public, and he did so with enthusiasm in favor of the petition.
?It?s an excellent location,? said Shafer.
He also said that with the addition of 220 acres acquired in 2011 by MassDevelopment and Taunton Development Corporation ? land originally used for former Paul A. Dever State School for the mentally retarded ? improvements can also be expected at the front area near Bay Street where the building sits.
Field, principal of the Mattapoisett engineering firm, said additional parking would be created at the site. He also said a traffic signal would eventually be added to control traffic as it enters and exits the school?s main road.
William Shamon, whose Myles Standish Medical Facility LLC owns the three-story building, said a permanent sign for the school is in the works.
Bay State College president Craig Pfannenstiehl said there would be a smooth transition for students previously attending night classes at the school?s Middlleboro High School satellite campus, which will close once the Taunton site becomes active.
Pfannenstiehl also said he doesn?t see why his school, which offers both two- and four-year programs, and Bristol Community College, which offers just two-year programs, can?t co-exist in the city.
?There?s certainly a market for both of us,? he said.
The building?s sole tenant still occupies a unit on the third floor, Shafer said.
Taunton-based allergist Dr. Donald Accetta paid $1.5 million for the 5,500-square-foot medical condo.
Bay State College has said it is interested in eventually offering day classes in Taunton as well.
Contact Charles Winokoor at cwinokoor@tauntongazette.com
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