The long-raging debate regarding the fate of the city-owned lot at the corner of Westbrook and Main streets in South Portland is finally over.

On Monday the City Council approved a conservation easement that will permanently protect the 2-acre lot from development in a 6-0 vote with Councilor Maxine Beecher absent.

The decision capped a nearly two-year fight, which started when a developer from Massachusetts sought to build a new, 24-hour Dunkin’ Donuts shop on the western end of Route 1 in late 2013.

The first plan was to purchase and demolish the historic St. John the Evangelist Church on the corner of Thirlmere Avenue and Main Street.

When that development proposal was stymied by a zone change, a proposal was then made that the new Dunkin’ Donuts could go up on the city-owned lot at the corner of Westbrook and Main streets instead.

That plan was met with immediate and vociferous objection from many neighbors, including the adjacent Congregation Bet Ha’am synagogue, which urged the city to permanently protect the Westbrook street lot from any development.

That goal came to fruition this week when the council gave the thumbs-up to a conservation easement, which will be held by the South Portland Land Trust. The newest city park will be known as Sawyer Park, according to the deed creating the easement.

The Congregation Bet Ha’am has also put its money where its mouth is by offering the city a $100,000 endowment fund to cover future maintenance of the now-protected green space.

The city has valued the lot at 25 Westbrook St. at $135,900, according to the assessor’s database. The conservation easement would allow the parcel to include a community garden and a playground, among other recreational uses.

However, the lot is currently being used as a staging area for the ongoing Thornton Heights sewer separation project, which was approved under a $3.5 million bond in November 2014.

Last week City Manager Jim Gailey said that even if the council approved the conservation easement, the sewer separation work, which also includes various streetscape improvements, would not be completed until sometime next summer, meaning the lot would not be open for public use until 2017.

During a workshop held on July 13, the City Council discussed the proposed conservation easement. Several residents stood up to urge city leaders to adopt the plan to permanently protect the Westbrook Street lot.

Carter Scott praised the plan to create another city park and said it was great to see the council and the land trust working together to conserve the open space. “I’m glad to see this is moving forward,” she said.

Joan Caldwell said that keeping the Westbrook Street lot as green space was “the best use of the land,” adding “I am glad to see the community coming together to make this happen.”

And Sharon Newman called the parcel “a community resource that will only become more valuable with every passing year,” as the western end of the city continues to grow.

This week Lisa Munderback, the immediate past president at

Congregation Bet Ha’am, told the Current there were several reasons why the synagogue pushed the city to protect the Westbrook Street lot.

“Our members value open space, which is in short supply in the Thornton Heights neighborhood,” she said. “(And), preserving the green space also protects our sacred worship space.”

During the debate regarding the Westbrook Street lot one of the main fears of the Congregation Bet Ha’am was that the proposed Dunkin’ Donuts would be visible from the temple, which has lots of windows to let in light.

In all, Munderback said, “We are very pleased that the City Council will approve a conservation easement for this property. We hope that South Portlanders will thank city councilors and the (land trust) for saving open space for community members to enjoy.”

At last week’s workshop councilors Tom Blake and Patti Smith said that chief among their reasons for wanting to protect the city-owned lot is the fact that the western end of town is growing.

“The fact that this is a busy intersection makes it all the more important,” to preserve the lot as open space, Blake said. And, Smith said, it’s important for the city to “blend the built and un-built environment.”

She added, “I’m thrilled to carve this parcel out and say, ‘this is the people’s place.’”

In summing up the council’s feelings, Mayor Linda Cohen said, “not developing this property just feels right.”

The city-owned lot at the corner of Westbrook and Main streets in South Portland was permanently protected from development this week. However, the lot will continue to be used as a staging area for the ongoing Thornton Heights sewer separation project through next summer.Staff photos by Kate Irish CollinsThe Congregation Bet Ha’am synagogue is located at a former school in the Thornton Heights neighborhood of South Portland. The congregation fought hard to preserve an adjacent parcel of city-owned land from development.