A half-acre parcel of land on Center Street in Tamaqua that was purchased recently by the Tamaqua Area Community Partnership will be used for parking by staff of the new Temple University rural dental school.

The property, at 240 Center St., measures 0.51 acres and is across the street and less than a block away from the university’s Maurice H. Kornberg School of Dentistry, 205 Center St.

Schuylkill County property records show the vacant property sold for $50,000 to TACP Real Estate LLC.

Classes at the school, which is inside the former Rite-Aid building, began recently.

TACP Real Estate LLC was granted a variance to convert the land into a 40-space parking lot.

Temple University partnered with the community partnership to open and develop the school, along with nearby student housing.