AMHERST — Town officials are exploring development of the former VFW site on Main Street into a new 40-bed homeless shelter with associated services and a four-story, 30-unit single-room occupancy apartment complex.

At a recent presentation to update residents and town officials about what is possible at the nearly 1-acre site at 457 Main St., representatives from The Narrow Gate Architecture of Boston said a 25,000-square-foot building housing the shelter and SRO units, as well as 20 parking spaces, could rise on the property that the city acquired for $750,000 in January 2023.

Should this plan come to fruition, Craig’s Doors: A Home Association would move from its current location at the Immanuel Lutheran Church.

“This is viable, it can be done to achieve the threshold of permanent supportive housing units, the shelter space of 40 beds and all the other uses that would be part of the shelter facility,” said Bob Wegener, a partner with Narrow Gate.

Each of the apartments would be 350 square feet with full bathrooms, kitchenettes with a two-burner stove and refrigerator, a bed, another piece of furniture and a small table. “They’re spacious enough for one person,” Wegener said.

He cautioned that the concept of what could happen on the site is not fully fleshed out, but rather is based on what the community wants and needs and various discussions, such as during an in-person community feedback session at Town Hall in June. In addition, it draws from information, such as Craig’s Doors being funded by the state for 38 beds, and the 30 to 40 apartments that would be seen as a viable number connected with the shelter.

The conceptual design was also crafted after studying and evaluating the site and what could fit.

“We want you to see what’s going on here as a first step in a long process,” Wegener said, observing that finding development partners to take on and operate the facilities will be critical.

Town Manager Paul Bockelman said that he appreciated the information, which comes a few months after officials toured Father Bill’s and MainSpring in Quincy, a temporary shelter that includes transitional housing, along with a resource center for people to find jobs, medical care and permanent homes.

“This is the model that we have always envisioned,” Bockelman said.

Next will be developing a request for proposal to see if a developer is interested, likely a nonprofit with experience in affordable housing, while Craig’s Doors will continue to bring its expertise to the shelter.

During the process, the town has reaffirmed its commitment to permanent shelter and permanent supportive housing, said Assistant Town Manager David Ziomek.

Joe Lambert, an architect with Narrow Gate, said in addition to the June meeting that brought out 50 residents, meetings have been held with Way Finders Inc., Valley Community Development, the Massachusetts Housing and Shelter Alliance and the Center for Human Development, as well as Craig’s Doors.

Lambert said there is near unanimous support for maximizing the development site, but also creating a welcoming presence along the street. The hybrid model, of having a shelter and supportive housing in the same building, is also seen as the most financially viable, since it could fund itself through construction, Lambert said.

Sara Briggs, another architect with Narrow Gate, showed the conceptual design, with Amherst Housing Services on the front, inside a two-story building, with 2,800 square feet for shelter services on the main level and 2,150 square feet for 40 shelter beds, mostly in bunks, on the second floor, with shower facilities and some adjacent administrative space.

This would be attached to a four-story building at the rear for permanent supportive housing. Inside, there would be 10 units on each of the upper three levels, with one accessible apartment per floor, with a community room, bicycle storage and other amenities on the main level.

Briggs said a shuttle drop off and public transportation would be at the front, while the permanent housing is closer to the 20-space parking lot.

The design is what she called a gradual stepping back of the site, with an acoustic barrier to the railroad tracks.

The plans also make sure the development fits within the single-family context of neighborhood. While some multi-unit buildings and businesses are nearby, Narrow Gate is aware that the site is just a short distance from the Emily Dickinson Historic District.

Should this be the final plan, there will be a need to line up funding and then, even when that is secured and a developer is identified, the project could take 18 months for construction.

Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.