GUILDERLAND — After more than five years and many concessions on the part the developer, the town board, on Tuesday, gave final approval for a 210-unit apartment complex at 1700 Western Ave.

The vote on the all-Democratic board was unanimous and Vincent Wolanin, founder and chairman of Wolanin Companies, the developer, thanked the board and said he was happy to be able to finally start construction.

The 22 acres had previously been rezoned, from Residential R15 and Residential R50 to Planned Unit Development, upsetting a dozen neighbors who opposed the project.

The luxury, gated apartment complex will feature 210 units in five elevator-serviced buildings over an underground garage, and four two-story buildings with enclosed garages. There will also be a clubhouse, a pool, and a 12,000-square-foot mixed-use building.

With 70 percent green space, Wolanin has declared the development will be totally tobacco free; it will be the first fully-gated rental home community to be non-smoking in upstate New York, he said.

The community will also be “eco-friendly,” he said, with recyclable metal roofing, extra insulation, energy-efficient appliances, light-emitted diode light bulbs, and low-flow faucets and toilets.

Opposition from neighbors had stemmed from concerns over traffic problems due to the density of residents at the complex. With more than 500 parking spaces, neighbors said the number of extra cars would make it impossible to get out onto Western Avenue.

A traffic study was conducted in 2012, when the plans for the proposal included entry and exit points onto Johnston Road, which have since been eliminated in response to the protests. That study showed that the number of cars at the complex would not have a significant impact on the traffic patterns of the neighboring side streets and Western Avenue, Guilderland’s busiest thoroughfare.

Neighbors also said, at previous public hearings, that they had bought their homes knowing that the parcels at 1700 Western Ave. were zoned for residential use, and they did not want to live near commercial buildings or multi-unit complexes.

After a public hearing last April, the town board approved rezoning the property, with the conditions that there be: no entrance or exit onto Patricia Lane or Newman Road; no part of the driveway or parking area within a 100-foot barrier of neighboring houses; a privacy fence around the pool and clubhouse; and a 200-foot buffer between all buildings and residences on Joseph Terrace.

Wolanin said this week, “This is, to the best of our knowledge, the largest setback area ever used in development history between adjoining properties.”

Wolanin said he believes that the project fits with the town’s comprehensive plan, which says to “concentrate higher density development within densely populated areas such as the Westmere/McKownville area…Westmere and McKownville provide the most services and the best access to public transportation.”

The type of housing the project will provide is a necessity in Guilderland, where, he said, similar housing is over 40 years old.

The complex will be geared toward professionals and elderly residents, and will benefit the town in terms of taxes, he said.

The apartments will range in size from 900 to 1,350 square feet, and the monthly rent will range from $1,350 to $1,950. Rent will depend on size, number of assigned garage spaces, and location.

The project will also provide more than 60 jobs, Wolanin said.

Wolanin said he expects to break ground in spring 2015, and the earliest move-ins could be in late 2015. He expects the project to be complete in 2016.