An illustrative plan shows what a housing development enabled by the new zoning might look like. Image courtesy of the town of Waterford

Saying that attempts to lure industrial development to a big parcel just off Interstate 95 had failed, town officials in Waterford rezoned the area for more housing last week.

The vote comes as submarine-builder Electric Boat Co. in nearby Groton is aiming to hire 8,000 workers this year, and many more besides in the coming years, to keep up with orders from the U.S. Navy.

The 188-acre property at 140 Waterford Parkway South had been a small airport from the 1940s until the late 1980s, and had sat fallow since. The area is served by municipal power, water and sewer geared towards industrial users, a more intensive type of consumer compared to multifamily housing.

Town officials initiated the proposal to rezone 98 acres of the Waterford Parkway property to allow multifamily housing, and another 75 acres to allow single-family housing. A further 16 acres would be kept as industrial zoning.

The zoning could allow up to 748 apartments, town staff told the Waterford Planning Board at last week’s meeting, according to meeting minutes, but the presence of wetlands on the site and other issues would mean fewer units would be possible in practice.

No development plan for the site has been filed, but town officials said in filings they were hoping to proactively encourage a direction for the long-disused property.

The new zoning was approved by a 4-1 vote.