188 Bassett, all cleared for Adult Ed renovations. The Elicker administration won a key city approval for the planned relocation of Adult Ed from the Hill to Newhallville, as the City Plan Commission signed off on ​“gut” renovations of a long-vacant Bassett Street building.Local land-use commissioners took that unanimous vote Wednesday night during the latest monthly City Plan Commission meeting, which was held online via Zoom.The commissioners approved the site plan for the renovation of the existing two-story structure at 188 Bassett St., including the construction of a roughly 4,500 square-foot addition to the building’s south side.As City Engineer Giovanni Zinn explained, this building used to be the local officers for the state Department of Social Services (DSS). It’s sat empty for more than a decade. The Harp administration purchased the building for $900,000 in 2019, and initially planned to convert it into a worker-owned laundry. The Elicker administration scrapped those plans as too expensive, and ultimately won Board of Education permission in 2022 to turn the building instead into a community center and a new home for Adult & Continuing Education, which currently operates out of rented space on Ella T. Grasso Boulevard. Most recently, the Board of Zoning Appeals voted in July to provide the relief necessary for the construction of a 4,500 square-foot addition.“We’re doing a full rehab of the building,” Zinn said. The building will remain two stories tall. Otherwise, ​“it’s a complete gut of the building. The only things we’re keeping are the structural members of the building. Everything else is coming out. It will essentially be a new building.”The new Adult Ed site will have a total of 132 parking spaces for cars and 28 parking spaces for bikes. Adult Ed’s main entrance will be off of the Farmington Canal Trail. The community center will be accessible off of Bassett Street. Car access will be off of Brewster.Zinn estimated that construction should take 12 to 18 months. The city is currently at ​“95 percent design” for this project, and just bid out for demolition of the interior. ​“We’ll see construction start soon,” he said.Westville Alder and City Plan Commissioner Adam Marchand asked about any measures the city is taking to reduce the building’s carbon footprint.Zinn said the building’s roof will be white, better to reflect sunlight and heat; the HVAC system will be designed ​“not to use fossil fuels;” gas will be used in the building only in the ​“kitchen suite,” and maybe just ​“a tiny bit” on the ​“worst winter days.” ​“By and large,” he said, ​“this will be using air-source heat pumps,” which are efficient and carbon neutral. The city will also be wrapping the building in new insulation.Zinn said the existing building’s total size is around 55,000 square feet.How much of the finished building will be set aside as a community center? City Plan Commission Vice Chair Ernest Pagan asked.Around 2,500 to 3,000 square feet, Zinn replied. There will be two program rooms, with a capacity for upwards of 120 people. ​“It’s a fairly substantial space.”