The town of Scarborough is working with the Trust for Public Land and a Higgins Beach property owner to purchase land at the popular beach where parking is extremely limited.

A memo of understanding, approved unanimously by the Town Council last week, will allow Town Manager Tom Hall to continue negotiations with the Trust for Public Land and the Vasile family, which owns two adjacent lots on Ocean Avenue that the town wants to preserve as public parking.

The Vasile family charges people between $5 and $10, depending on the time of day, to park on the property. Purchasing the land would ensure that the town could keep public parking in an area that lacks it, Hall said.

It’s unclear how much it will cost the town to purchase the land at this point, Hall said. The assessed value of the lots combined is $1.4 million.

“It really serves as a tremendous and unique public development,” Hall said. “It’s such a confined area and in season there is no parking anywhere.”

The Trust for Public Land, a national organization that buys land for conservation, late last year approached the town about acquiring the Vasiles’ property. Since then, Hall has had several meetings with the Vasiles to discuss buying the land.

Jim Gooch, a field representative for The Trust for Public Land, said acquiring the property and continuing to have public parking for beach goers is important to not only Scarborough, but the state.

“Higgins Beach is one of the iconic sand beaches of southern Maine, and it’s one of the most popular places for people to go,” Gooch said. “When you think of southern Maine, you think of Higgins Beach because it’s a popular destination for fishing and surfing, and it’s part of what defines our coast.”

If a purchase deal is struck, it would prevent a private developer from buying the land and eliminating the only public parking for the beach, Hall said.

“The most logical development proposal wouldn’t be to use it for parking if a private party bought it,” Hall said. “That’s why it makes sense for the town to step up and be interested in this venture.”

The lot can fit up to about 75 cars, Hall said. It is the only option for people to park. There is no parking on the streets.

Hall wanted the memo of understanding signed at the June 17 Town Council to move forward with an open public dialogue with Higgins Beach residents.

He said he has so far not heard any negative feedback regarding the proposal, but wants the process to go through the public channels.

“At this point, we are not bound by this,” Hall said. “I am really interested in hearing from the neighborhood and community in general.”

At least one Higgins Beach resident has said they would support the project.

“I’m in favor of it,” said Susan Thompson, who lives at 1 Ocean Avenue. It’s a public beach as far as I’m concerned.”

Travis Hayes, who surfs at Higgins Beach and travels from Cape Elizabeth, said he thinks the proposed sale makes sense.

“The access to this beach is already limited,” Hayes said. “If you got rid of it, it would make it a private area and that would be a shame.”

The town has heard from one Higgins Beach resident who said he is in favor of the acquisition.

“Maintaining public access to a beach that has historically enjoyed traditional public use is very important, especially at a location such as Higgins,” Peter Slovinsky, a Higgins Beach resident who wrote in a letter to the town. “Without the availability of readily accessible public parking, Higgins Beach could effectively become a private community, which would be a terrible loss to the residents of Scarborough and the general public that has used the beach for generations.”

Hall said he hopes to have a public hearing on the matter scheduled within the next two months. Money for a possible purchase would come from the town’s land bond budget of $2.4 million, which is earmarked for land acquisitions that would benefit the town.

Town Planner Dan Bacon said the deal makes sense since the town has invested in the upkeep of the beach, recently completing the Higgins Beach sea wall, which protects the beach from erosion.

“If the town acquired the property, we would take over the management of that area,” Bacon said. “There are areas to make parking more efficient and create more parking spaces. The town’s put a lot of money into the sidewalks of that area and it’s a major destination for fishing and surfing.”

This parking sign marks the entrance to the only parking lot that allows public parking at Higgins Beach. Katherine Pinard, left, and her daughter Shelagh Pinard, both of Haverill Massachusetts, sit on Higgins Beach Tuesday morning. This parking lot is owned by the Vasile family on Ocean Avenue near Higgins Beach. The town wants to purchase the land from the Vasiles to keep it as a public parking area. The town wants to purchase land at Higgins Beach to preserve public parking at the popular beach, where parking is scarce.