The Middleboro Select Board got its first look Monday Nov. 7 at a proposal to build 296 rental units, some of them to be designated affordable, on the current site of a salvage yard at 162 East Grove St. 

Picerne Real Estate presented plans at the Select Board meeting for The Oasis at Middleboro, which would include six standalone buildings of four stories each. About a quarter of the units would meet local standards for affordability, according to said Peter Tamm, an attorney for the project. 

This would help the town reach its goal of having 10 percent of its housing supply considered affordable, according to information provided by the real estate company. The Oasis of Middleboro would provide “much-needed housing for residents of the town at various incomes,’’ according to information developed by Picerne.

The project would be located at the current location of Freedman’s Used Car and Auto Parts, which is looking to close. The housing would take up about 40 acres of the 85-acre site.

An on-site wastewater treatment plant and private water supply would be provided at the development, which would result in little impact to the town’s infrastructure, according to information developed by Picerne.

The site is also slated to include commercial development in front of the housing along East Grove Street.

Commercial entities in the front “don’t always go over well,’’ Select Board Member Neil Rosenthal said. He said he hoped any commercial enterprise would not detrimentally impact the residents.

Select Board Member Arthur Battistini sought assurances that runoff from construction work would not harm nearby streams. 

Select Board Chair Mark Germain expressed initial optimism for the plan and liked “the fact that we’d be taking a junkyard and converting into housing that you don’t see from the street.’’

Developers said they wanted to include the town in the planning well before shovels hit the dirt, Tamm said. He noted that “the best projects involve collaboration between the community’’ and the developer.

Presenting initial plans at this stage provides “an opportunity to engage early,’’ Tamm said.

Developers plan to use the Local Initiative Program, also known as LIP, a state program that encourages the creation of affordable housing by providing technical assistance. 

Tamm also said the developers are willing to work through Chapter 40R, which provides state financial assistance for projects based in “smart growth districts,’’ which include affordable housing units in dense residential or mixed-use areas.

Select Board Member Brian Giovanoni said the 40R designation would help, particularly considering the number of students that might be added to the school system as a result of these units. 

Picerne developed similar projects in Plainville and Plymouth.