WESTBROOK – Development on land between Stroudwater Street and the Westbrook Arterial took a major step forward Monday, as the Westbrook City Council approved rezoning the land once called Stroudwater Place, which now opens the door for developer J.B. Brown & Sons to purchase the property.

Vincent Veroneau, president and CEO of Portland-based J.B. Brown & Sons, first presented his company’s proposal to the Planning Board last month, and the successful vote Monday now enables the company to turn the property into a roughly 45-acre zone for potential commercial development, and a 15-acre zone for possible residential development. A key change since Brown’s original proposal is an option for the city to buy three lots to be used as part of the building trades program of the Westbrook Regional Vocational Center.

The preliminary plan calls for some 18 housing lots stemming from Stroudwater Street, with a variety of development taking shape off the arterial, which might include retail space, a small hotel, and a possible multi-family dwelling.

With the council’s 6-1 vote, the new zone will replace the contract zone known as “Stroudwater Place,” which was an ambitious, 1.6 million-square-foot project proposed by former landowner Jason Snyder in 2008, that ultimately never gained momentum. Following foreclosure last year, the land was sold back to mortgage lender Kimco Capital.

According to Veroneau, Snyder’s plan is neither economically nor environmentally feasible, given the presence of wetlands.

Also approved unanimously by the council was an “option and land development agreement” between the city and J.B. Brown, which stipulates that the developer will grant the city a 10-year option to acquire three of the proposed 18 house lots to be used as part of the vocational center’s building trades program, for the cost of developing the lots with the necessary infrastructure.

This agreement, however, seemed to loom larger in the minds of councilors than the zone change itself, as concerns were raised on what would become of the agreement if J.B. Brown sold the land, or if the city didn’t exercise the option to buy lots within the 10-year timeline. City attorney Natalie Burns said the terms of the agreement stay with the land.

Councilor John O’Hara raised the question of how much it would cost the city to set up the proposed three lots with the necessary utilities.

City Engineer Eric Dudley said costs for the infrastructure on the residential portion would be lower if the utilities from the commercial development off the arterial are established first.

Council President Brendan Rielly, who has been a strong supporter of the option to acquire the residential portion of the property for the city’s building trades program, said Monday that without knowing how much the city will have to spend, it would be difficult to vote on the agreement.

“It may be cost prohibitive, but it may not,” he said. “I want to be sure.”

At one point the council motioned to table a vote on the agreement, but the motion failed 4-3.

Former Westbrook state Rep. Tim Driscoll, who lives on Monroe Avenue, said Monday that the building trades program is important for Westbrook, not only for students, but also for people looking to buy homes.

“This is all hands-on stuff that they’re learning in high school,” he said. “I think we all want to see this program continue.”

“Once this parcel goes on Stroudwater, where do they go from there?” Rielly said. “This is really the last piece of property that’s in a manageable distance (from the high school).”

Councilor Mike Sanphy said Wednesday that while it’s nice for the developer to offer the lots for the city to purchase, he didn’t like the sentiment of the city “strong-arming” the developer into making the offer.

The agreement also stipulates that the residential zone would prohibit the development of multi-family structures, and establishes an easement for a 10-foot buffer between the entire residential and commercial zones, allowing for the construction of a walking trail.

In a last-minute effort to sway Westbrook residents to stop the zone change from being approved, Snyder handed out flyers throughout the city Monday leading up to the meeting, which called J.B. Brown’s proposal “short-sighted.”

“The current Stroudwater Contract Zone is of strategic importance to the health and strength of our great city,” the flyer states. “Please attend the meeting tonight and let’s band together to defeat the current proposed zoning change. Westbrook deserves better and we’ll get there together.”

Snyder, speaking during the meeting, said that when he owned the land, he turned down offers from large stores such as Lowe’s and Wal-Mart because that type of development was “not appropriate for the gateway to the city of Westbrook. It shouldn’t be built upon until the appropriate project comes along.”

Snyder also shared numbers with the council that compared the proposed Stroudwater Place development with J.B. Brown’s plan. According to Snyder, Stroudwater Place would have resulted in $1,904,000 in property tax revenue and 1,263 jobs, compared to $550,800 in property tax revenue and 300 jobs from the current proposal.

However, during past meetings, Veroneau has said that the size of development proposed under Stroudwater Place would not be possible due to roughly 15 acres of wetlands on the site.

Others, such as Andrew Cook, president of the Westbrook-Gorham Community Chamber, and Chris Hall, CEO of the Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce, came out to support the zone change. Cook, reading from a letter already sent to city councilors, said, “Tonight’s vote sends a signal to the city, the entire region, and to the investment community, that Westbrook is open for business. A ‘yes’ vote tonight is a ‘yes’ vote for growth.”

Former City Councilor and current Westbrook state Rep. Drew Gattine, who also lives on Stroudwater Street across from the parcel, said Monday that he was opposed to the original Stroudwater Place development, but has also had difficulty accepting the new plan.

“I guess I have a lukewarm support for the zone change,” he said. “But the proposal before you makes more sense than the current zone.”

After the land sale, J.B. Brown & Sons still needs approval from the state Department of Transportation for access off the Westbrook Arterial, as well as from the Department of Environmental Protection and the city’s Planning Board.