The town of Old Orchard Beach has approved a contract zone that will allow a suggested 61-unit condominium development across the street from Old Orchard Beach High School.

Sea Coast Land Acquisition has proposed a condominium development on a long-vacant 19- acre property at 63-91 E. Emerson Cummings Boulevard. The proposed 61 condominiums would be stand-alone, single-family units. A portion would be deemed affordable housing.

The condominium development requires contract zone approval from the town because current zoning would not allow more than 19 units on the buildable area of the property.

The planning board recommended the contract zone, and the Town Council unanimously gave it final approval at its Dec. 5 meeting.

Council Chairman Shawn O’Neill said the contract zone had been “thoroughly vetted” at a Town Council workshop and the Council and the developer agreed upon the terms of the final version of the contract zone.

Although the contract zone has been secured, the developer still needs to go before the planning board for further approval before embarking on the project.

The proposed development would preserve about 9.5 acres of forested area that would not be built upon, under the terms of the contract zone.. About 5.4 acres of this area is wetlands, and would be put under a conservation easement that would forever protect it from development, according to the contract zone document. Sea Coast Land Acquisition has suggested the wetland area be transferred to the town.

The terms of the contract zone require seven units to be designated affordable housing “based on the most recent, at the time of sale, affordable homeownership guidelines, as prepared by the State of Maine.” The seven units will be affordable housing in perpetuity, and every time one is up for sale it must be sold at an affordable price under the guidelines.

The developer will also add two crosswalks on E. Emerson Cummings Boulevard with “rapid flashing beacon signage” from the development’s two road access points, according to the contract zone.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.