The Planning Board has approved site plans for a new children's area at Six Flags New England and a retail and office building on Suffield Street.

Board members voted 3 to 0 on both site plans during a meeting last week. Board chairman Dennis B. Hopkins and Travis P. Ward did not attend the meeting.

Six Flags New England will create Thomas Town on an existing parking lot, said Deborah S. Dachos, the city's director of planning and community development.

Thomas Town will be based on the children's television show "Thomas & Friends."

The area will be created adjacent to the park's main entrance and will feature various rides, including a train ride.

The board's approval is conditional pending the Fire Department's input on the plan, information on sound from the train ride's whistle, and a revised plan indicating where handicapped parking is and what vegetation will be placed along Main Street, Dachos said.

Park spokeswoman Melissa Pinkerton said the board's conditions are not a problem.

"We always work hand in hand with the board so it is part of the process we go through," Pinkerton said.

The parking lot was designated for full-time employees and handicapped guests.

The lot will now be pushed away from the park's front gate to the other side of Thomas Town, Pinkerton said.

The attraction will open in June.

City resident Gary E. Suffriti will construct a 2,040-square-foot building at 305 Suffield St., Dachos said.

Suffriti was given permission to tear down an old garage at the property that was listed in the city's historic inventory.

As a result, the Historical Commission must approve the design of the new building's facade, Dachos said.

The site plan approval is based on the condition that lighting from the building be shielded so it does not shine on adjacent residential property.

The Planning Board will also review the elevation of a proposed sign at the site. Drainage issues must also be addressed.

The property is owned by Suffriti's father, Everett D. Suffriti.

Gary Suffriti said he is working to secure a tenant for the building.