SOUTH DEERFIELD — As the town prepares to present designs for the Leary Lot in the coming months, residents and business owners gathered on Thursday to share their feedback on and ideas for the project.

For several years, Deerfield has been planning to develop the roughly 1.5-acre asphalt and dirt lot into a larger, paved parking lot to better connect South Deerfield while creating more parking spaces. Key points of the plan include expanding the paved parking area to include at least 60 spots; creating green spaces for residents or outdoor dining areas for the neighborhood’s restaurants; and installing electric vehicle chargers. The lot would also be wrapped around the nearby buildings to create an access point on Elm Street, which could alleviate traffic flow in the town’s main intersection.

Town officials, who note this will be one of the first projects in their South Deerfield revitalization plan, are hopeful the project will benefit the numerous businesses in the vicinity of the lot, which has an official address of 59 North Main St. Folks in attendance at Town Hall on Thursday evening shared that hope, as they provided several suggestions for the town and lead architect, Berkshire Design Group’s Jeffrey Squire.

“I’m 110% behind it,” said Berkshire Brewing Co. founder and President Gary Bogoff, whose business abuts the northwest corner of the property, where he plans to create a beer garden. While the project is “a long time in the making and it’s a perfect opportunity” for businesses, he said the town should continue to solicit business owners’ opinions to make sure every angle is covered.

For example, Bogoff said the projected location of several electric vehicle chargers may interfere with where the brewery is planning to install the beer garden.

Selectboard member Tim Hilchey noted Thursday’s public forum was the first of several chances for residents and businesses to provide feedback, and Bogoff’s thoughts were a good example of what the town was looking to solicit from people.

“This will have several opportunities for people to engage,” Hilchey said. He estimated a Leary Lot design will be presented to the Planning Board in July.

Resident and abutter William Dziura said he and his family support the project because “it’s good for Deerfield,” but he noted there were a few concerns about traffic flow and privacy for the houses on the north end of the lot. Linda Goscenski, who owns a few apartments on Elm Street, echoed those thoughts.

“From a homeowner’s perspective, I think about lighting and safety and policing,” Dziura said, while Goscenski suggested there be a tree or planting buffer to retain Deerfield’s “quaint little town” feeling.

Speaking to Dziura’s concerns, Selectboard Chair Carolyn Shores Ness said town officials are taking lighting concerns into account and the improved lot will reduce traffic on its own. In terms of safety, she said the Deerfield Police Department conducts routine patrols and coordinating with the chief is easy.

“The whole idea is to bring traffic off the street,” Shores Ness said of the project. “I can guarantee you we would be looking for good plantings.”

As more suggestions and comments came in, the Selectboard decided another meeting with conceptual drawings might be productive. The board scheduled a July 10 meeting at 6 p.m. to discuss further with residents.

The town has also released an online survey for residents to fill out. The survey, a slideshow detailing the project and a recording of the meeting can be accessed on the town website at bit.ly/3Nlac57.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.

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