HADLEY — A senior housing project in town center that will feature 34 units for people 55 and over can move forward following approval from the Planning Board last week.

The board at its July 7 meeting voted 4-0 to issue a senior housing special permit for the development that will go up on 5.5 acres at 42 Middle St., a short distance from the Hadley Public Library and the Hadley Senior Center and close to the Norwottuck Rail Trail.

Proposed by Sovereign Builders of Northampton, the 17 duplexes will be built along a 24-foot wide loop road and will be connected to town water and sewer.

Planners found that there is adequate parking for both the residents and visitors along the private way, with sufficient space for emergency vehicles to pass by when vehicles are parked there.

Doug Serrill, a lasdscape architect with the Berkshire Design Group in Northampton, said the homeowner association will enforce the provisions for parking, which will only be allowed on the outer side of the loop. This will be included in the homeowner association regulations.

Parking on the street will be considered temporary, as the developer would have to build to 28-feet wide to accommodate permanent parallel parking, which was viewed as excessive.

Planners want to ensure that there is no spillover of vehicles onto town streets from the new development.

The post office boxes for the homes will be closer to Middle Street, along the access road, and two parallel parking spaces will be built for them.

Of the 34 units, 15% will have to be affordable to comply with town zoning.

While Hadley has only one senior housing project already built, East Street Commons, another has already been aproved for construction at the Hadley Village Barn Shops site, with the apartments within a three-story building to be attached to the former Hadley Farms Meeting House.

Another over 55 development has also been proposed for the former Babb Farm at the corner of Rocky Hill Road and North Maple Street, but no plans have yet been filed for that.