The town’s planning commission was set to look at the sketch plans for Cannery Village, the affordable housing community planned between Route 113 and Flower Street, at its meeting Wednesday.

Frank Gunion, president of the Berlin Community Development Corporation — the nonprofit organization behind the development — said they are very close to moving forward and going before the Planning Commission is one step.

“It’s a work force housing project. It’s designed to be sold to people normally priced out of the local real estate market,” Gunion said.

He said the village would include 52 single-family homes when finished and they are hoping to start on the first 10 homes by this fall. The project, which is funded by state and federal grants, would also look at more energy saving techniques to help keep costs low for residents and help the environment. Gunion said they are looking into solar energy, renewable resources as well as having the homes be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified. LEED certification is done through the U.S. Green Building Council and is a rating system that looks at several components to develop “high-performance, sustainable buildings,” according to its Web site.

“We think it will be a real demonstration of a different way to do a subdivision and a community,” Gunion said.