Stonington ― Inclusion: A Sylvestre Foundation is moving forward with plans to renovate a downtown Pawcatuck building into a small coffee shop and an apartment for its clients.

The foundation, a non-profit organization founded by Alan Sylvestre and his wife Tanya in 2018, is involved in community education and advocacy, as well as funding and support for young adults with developmental disabilities and the organizations that serve them.

On Tuesday, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved an application to relocate a set of stairs and add a handicapped accessible ramp to the rear of the 100 West Broad St. building, which has previously been a hair salon and a law office.

Relocating the stairs will allow easier access for traffic entering and exiting the driveway.

Organization Vice President Alan Sylvestre said on Monday “it is residential above, commercial below, but the whole building is going to be used to support the people we serve through the foundation.”

Last year, directly across the street, is the foundation’s main office as well as the home of New Heights, a Vista Life Innovations program which serves neurodiverse adults age 17 and older through five core areas: life skills, cognitive and social behavior, community integration, vocational/job training and options for training and education. This facility, in a renovated building, opened last year.

Sylvestre explained that the new building is intended to become a self-service coffee and cookie shop with 10 seats, where neurodiverse adults can learn employment skills. The foundation also intends to renovate the facade to make it more attractive.

“It’s going to take a little time, but we have an idea, and I know the community members are excited because they saw the work we did across the street, and we try to do things in a really positive and good manner,” he said.

He explained that the building will provide the framework for organizations to provide job coaching, job placement and skills training for the individuals in their programs.

The foundation was able to purchase the building in July with a donation from an anonymous community member.

Sylvestre said, “we now, as a foundation, have more of an ability to provide, not just services, but even to create an economic engine for the foundation.”

The building will also have an apartment upstairs which will function as a real-life classroom where adults in programs that teach independent living skills can then implement the skills they have learned and transition to living on their own with support.