WEST LEBANON — The City Council this week killed a proposal to purchase nearly 2 acres on a residential street in West Lebanon, citing public opposition and a lack of formal development plans.

Councilors on Wednesday night declined to offer a motion on the purchase of 38 Maple St., which was pitched earlier this summer as the possible home of a new fire station in West Lebanon.

The city’s administration requested $775,000 for the parcel, which is owned by Hanover developer Jolin Kish.

While the nine-member council rejected the fire station idea last month, officials also acknowledged continued fears that any city development could impede from Maple Street’s residential character or lower property values.

Councilor Karen Liot Hill told her colleagues that she received “overwhelming” feedback from residents ahead of the meeting.

“It seems that overwhelmingly 38 Maple St. is not desirable for a fire station but also it is not desirable for the city to purchase at this time,” she said.

Liot Hill added that other factors, such as the need to borrow money through a bond in order to purchase the property, and no concrete plans for the site, also contributed to her opposition.

The council’s decision means the property, which was once home to Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, will remain in private hands.

Kish purchased the lot shortly after Holy Redeemer merged with Sacred Heart in 2003 and has at times used the former church building for storage. The Holy Redeemer site had been about 3 acres, but Kish sold the parish hall to the Olivet Baptist Church in 2010 for $510,000.

She said Thursday that she will “probably just leave it like it was” before the city approached her.

“I didn’t plan to sell it before they asked me about it,” she said in a phone interview. “Really, it’s just sitting there, waiting for me to develop what I want.”

Kish said she would like to put senior housing on the property, which is allowed under the city’s zoning rules by obtaining a special exception. She also could subdivide it into single-family lots.

According to Lebanon’s zoning ordinance, minimum lot sizes in the city’s Residential 3 zoning district are 10,000 square feet, while 38 Maple St. has an 84,000-square-foot footprint.

Although councilors were unanimously opposed to purchasing the Maple Street property on Wednesday, some lamented what could turn out to be a missed opportunity.

Councilor George Sykes said more should be done to encourage workforce housing in Lebanon, and acquiring the Maple Street lot could have led to a city-led effort to build more units.

Sykes, a retired deputy fire chief, also said he’s heard people say his entire life “that we need to support our public safety personnel and their needs.”

“Everybody says that. But then when we get down to the brass tacks of it, it’s very difficult to meet those needs,” he said.

There is a compelling need for a new fire station, Sykes added, “but again we’re going to pass on this opportunity.”

“My hope is that on both of those fronts, we will not continue to pass on those opportunities,” he said. “They are important, and we need to be mindful of that.”

Councilors also said the money should be better spent on other West Lebanon upgrades, such as improvements to the Westboro Rail Yard or the former Seminary Hill School, which city officials hope to turn into a community center.

“I just think overall we have other, better investment opportunities for West Lebanon,” said councilor Douglas Whittlesey, who represents the west side of the city. “So as much as I hate to see it go, I think it’s the right move to pass on this.”

Fire officials say the current Main Street station, which dates to 1974, doesn’t meet accessibility or current safety standards and is no longer capable of serving a diverse roster of firefighters and paramedics (it doesn’t have gender-specific locker rooms or living quarters).

The Main Street lot is too small for an expansion and because the fire station is surrounded by businesses, officials say, there’s little hope of acquiring adjacent lots at a price acceptable to taxpayers.

Lebanon Fire Chief Chris Christopoulos said Thursday that he’s working with city engineers to find other possible sites in West Lebanon, although they haven’t yet zeroed in on one.

He said he didn’t have an opinion on the council decision to forgo purchasing the Maple Street property.

“Certainly, we heard from the residents, and I think we could have alleviated a lot of their fears,” Christopoulos said, adding he still respects the outcome.

Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.