The Westbrook City Council gave preliminary approval Monday to a contract-zone change for a site where a new junior high school could be built.

The council’s approval was unanimous. A second and final vote will be held at the council’s Jan. 22 meeting, when residents will have an opportunity to voice their opinions on the zone change in a public hearing. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 22, in room 114 of Westbrook High School.

The Westbrook Planning Board has already given its approval to the change.

The move is a definitive step toward finalizing the construction of a new junior high near Westbrook High School on a 65-acre plot of land off Stroudwater Street.

The zone change would alter the designation of the Stroudwater Street site from rural to growth zone, in keeping with state requirements for building a new school. The city purchased the land from Thomas DeWolfe and Elizabeth Faye in April for just under $990,000.

City and school officials are working to complete the zone change and other remaining tasks before the state will give final approval on building on a new school on the site. They hope to hold a public referendum for all Westbrook residents on the new school some time between mid-April and June.

The city has worked with the state through an extensive review process. If the city complies will all the state’s requirements, the state will refund 100 percent of the costs of constructing a new school, with the exception of any extra construction the city chooses, such as a new auditorium. The cost of a new school is expected to be upwards of $30 million.

Ultimately, the state has final say on whether to renovate the existing Wescott Junior High, build new on the existing site or build new elsewhere. However, a December request by the state that the city provide a formal site application for the Stroudwater Street property suggests that the state is leaning toward the site as a new spot for the school.

When the review process began, both the state and the city and schools were looking to renovate or build new on the existing Wescott Junior High site off Bridge Street. During the review process, however, all parties came to the conclusion that building new on another site would be less expensive.

The city expects to hear from the state Board of Education on final approval for the DeWolfe site in February, according to Mayor Bruce Chuluda, followed by approval in mid-March for a school concept drawn up by the city’s architect.