AUGUSTA — A plan to build 102 apartments in two buildings — one targeting senior citizens, the other families — and a daycare at the former Augusta police station on Union Street was unanimously approved Tuesday by the Planning Board.

Developers Collaborative, a private development firm based in Portland which has previously partnered with Augusta Housing Authority on other housing projects in Augusta, plans to start construction on the first of the two buildings next year once it secures financing.

The first building would include 40 affordable units of one- to three-bedroom apartments, 10 market rate apartments, and a daycare for up to 40 children.

The daycare would be run by Kennebec Valley YMCA, which is adjacent to the site and would expand its existing daycare offerings in two new classrooms and a new playground to be built as part of the housing development.

While two neighbors to the site expressed concerns about the potential increase in traffic in the neighborhood, the board approved both phases of the project, Tuesday with members praising its amenities and proximity to local offerings, including the YMCA, Kennebec River Rail Trail, Capitol Park, and athletic fields that surround the site on Union Street.

“I too like the project, and I think it’s a sleeper, in that it’s going to have river views,” board member Alison Nichols said, speculating that the upper floors of the buildings will have some views of the nearby Kennebec River. “I think people will appreciate being surrounded by nature and having that, rather than a cityscape, on all sides. I think that’s really a nice piece.”

The former police station will be demolished and the two new buildings will be built largely where the station is now. Work could start on the first planned building, which would contain the family units and the day care, in 2026 and be ready for occupancy in October 2027, with the second building, restricted to residents 55 or older, starting construction in 2027 and being ready for occupancy in June 2028.

Of the 50 units in the first building, 10 one-bedroom units would be rented out at market rates, which Laura Reading, director of affordable housing for Developers Collaborative, estimated at $1,200 a month.

The remaining 40 units in the first building and all 52 units in the second building would be affordable units reserved for tenants making no more than 60% of the area median income.

The median area income in Kennebec County varies based on family size ranging from $61,110 for a family of one, $78,570 for a family of three, and $115,236 for a family of eight.

The designated affordable units include a mix of four studio apartments in the senior building, which Reading said would rent at the current rates of $765 to $918 a month, as well as, in both buildings, one bedrooms that rent for $819 to $983 a month, two bedrooms for $982 to $1,179 a month, and three bedrooms for $1,028 to $1,224. Those rents include all utilities, Reading said.

The land is owned by the city but the developer has a purchase and sale agreement to purchase it if the development moves forward. While the dollar amount of the sale is blacked out on application materials, the developer’s initial proposal in response to the city’s request for redevelopment proposals indicated it would pay the city $500,000 for the site, which is just under 4 acres and nearly flat.

“As part of our proposal to the city we want to develop an intergenerational community, that’d have a mix of both seniors and families, really integrating with the existing YMCA campus and existing recreational amenities, like the river, the rail trail, and Capitol Park,” Reading said.

Two relatively nearby residents, including one whose family lives in the only residential property now on Union Street, which otherwise is lined by Capitol Park and state office buildings, expressed concerns about traffic they expect to increase with the new use.

Marcie Rheaume, echoing questions from some board members, expressed doubts about the developer’s claims the new housing would generate less traffic than the police station and offices did when they were occupied.

“I can’t see that this huge development is going to lessen traffic,” Rheaume said. “I can’t get the traffic to currently stop for the school bus, I have to call the police on a monthly basis because people going to the Y refuse to stop for my child. I’m concerned there isn’t enough parking for this huge structure. And that people will be parking all along the park and block access.”

Adrienne Fine, of Terradyn Consultants, a civil engineer on the project, said the development is expected to generate 90 vehicle trips during peak commuting times, down from the 140 trips the police station and office use would generate under traffic standard modeling.

Reading said there should be enough parking on the site so it won’t spill out onto Union Street or elsewhere.

The daycare portion of the building will have its own drop-off area, accessed through the existing YMCA parking lot. Parking for the apartment tenants will be behind the two buildings, all of which will be accessed from a driveway shared with the YMCA.

Each building would have a community room and small courtyard with benches, bike racks and trash cans, as well as mailrooms and storage spaces. Architect Virginie Stanley, of Invivid Architecture, said they propose to put solar panels on the roofs of both buildings as well.