DEERFIELD — The site plan review for the 1888 Building rehabilitation and addition project has been pushed to Monday, Jan. 6, as the town works to flesh out the parking and driveway designs.

While the hearing was originally scheduled for Monday evening, Town Administrator Christopher Dunne said the town is holding off on presenting the site plan for the project, as preliminary comments from public safety departments signaled a need to take another look at the “minimal parking and driveway exits and entrances” present on the plan, according to Dunne.

Instead, Dunne said the town is going to go back to Berkshire Design Group to expand on the current plans and present a final version to the Planning Board on Jan. 6. The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m.

“At this time, we’re just pressing pause on the site plan review that was submitted,” he said during Monday’s meeting. “Rather than put a site plan before the board tonight that’s not fully revised and takes those comments into account, we’re going to go back to Berkshire Design and our architect and have them tweak the design a little bit and have a site plan for this body to review in January.”

In the Planning Board’s request for comments, South Deerfield Fire District Capt. Kurt Seaman noted that a fire lane needs to be maintained between the 1888 Building and the South Deerfield Congregational Church, from North Main Street to the rear lot of Town Hall, and a swept path analysis must be conducted and submitted as soon as possible. A swept path analysis evaluates how much space is needed for vehicles to turn.

Planning Board Chair Denise Mason added that the Police Department has yet to comment on the project.

The Jan. 6 site plan review will serve as one of the final major hurdles for the 1888 Building project, which will rehabilitate and renovate the 136-year-old building into a modern Town Hall with all municipal offices under one roof.

An October Special Town Meeting served as the other major step in the process, as residents overwhelmingly approved $3.8 million in Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding to renovate the historic portion of the building. The CPA money is supplemented by a $4 million congressional earmark from U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, which will be used to construct a 2,600-square-foot addition on the west side of the building. Any remaining balance not covered by the earmark or CPA funding will be paid with $650,000 in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.