A former junkyard on Old Fall River Road will soon become Dartmouth’s latest housing subdivision.

At the August 22 Planning Board meeting, the seven-lot subdivision, which includes an existing home already on the property, was given the go-ahead by the board. The plan is to redevelop the 18-acre property at 1060 Old Fall River Road, owned by Armand Thibodeau Jr, into a single-family housing, explained SITEC engineer Steven Gioiosa.

Hixville Auto Parts and Sales had been in operation at the property since at least the early 1980s, and suspended its operations last year, according to incorporation records. Junkyard-related buildings on the property date back to 1960, according to assessment records.

According to Thibodeau’s attorney John Williams, his father originally ran the facility. It’s remained a family-run operation until it ended operations last year when he decided to subdivide the property.

“Mr. Thibodeau has another job, and he was running [the junkyard] as a secondary job,” Williams said of the decision.

Although the property once supported a junkyard operation, the land is fairly clean, Gioiosa said. Care was taken to remove gasoline, oil, and other contaminants from cars before storing them, limiting the risk of leaks, although environmental testing will still be carried out.

“The owners operated a very clean facility,” Gioiosa said. “There aren’t any major issues.”

Dartmouth Director of Public Health Christopher Michaud said the Board of Health discussed the property at a July 31 meeting, and concluded that as of right now, there have been no known releases of any contaminants that would necessitate further action by the department.

The property will require some rehabilitation work, however. Several purpose-built buildings will need to be demolished. A large area covered with gravel where cars were once stored will need new topsoil, and Gioiosa said the area will be leveled off and built up to support housing lots.

To conform with the town’s open space requirements for residential subdivisions, the site will include 11 acres of publicly accessible open space.