LAKEVILLE — Lakeville has taken very preliminary steps toward possibly purchasing land on Freetown Street being eyed for housing development.

Newly hired Town Planner Nancy Durfee told town officials at a meeting Jan. 30 that she will look into potential grants or other funding sources to allow the town to purchase the property.

Members of four town boards, Select, Planning and Zoning boards and the Open Space Committee, met Jan. 30 at the Lakeville Public Library to discuss the future of the site.

A potential purchase would likely be prohibitively expensive for the town on its own, officials said. “We’re looking at $10 to $15 million’’ as a potential purchase price, Select Board Member Maureen Candito said. 

But officials noted that the discussion is worth at least considering, particularly since the town passed a Community Preservation Act, which uses a portion of real estate tax for land protection and other issues.

Durfee said she has reached out to land trusts and other organizations that might be interested in partnering with the town to purchase the property.

The groups are “not jumping,’’ she said, but have promised to “stay in touch’’ with her. “We had a good beginning of a conversation.’’

A possible purchase would represent a third option that has been considered for the site. 

Developer Muhammad Itani’s original proposal for the property called for 200 units, including 44 single-family homes, 46 duplex cottages catering to an older demographic and 11 10-unit condominium buildings. At least 50 of the units would be restricted to people with low to moderate incomes.

This would have been a 40B housing development, which allows developers to bypass certain zoning regulations if less than 10 percent of the community’s housing stock is considered affordable, which is the case in Lakeville, and if at least 20 percent of the units being constructed are deemed affordable. 

At prior meetings, town residents spoke vehemently against the 40B proposal, citing concerns about traffic impact, safety issues and potential harm to the water supply, among other concerns raised at a series of meetings.

A second discussion concerned creating a potential Open Space Residential Development zoning bylaw. This would allow no more housing than is permitted in a subdivision plan while maintaining half of the total land area as open space. 

The new bylaw, which would only apply to this particular property, would need to be approved by a two-thirds vote of Town Meeting voters to move forward.

One potential advantage of this plan, Planning Board Chair Michele MacEachern said, was that the developers would maintain about half of the total land area as open space. 

Under this plan, the developer would build 214 units, including single-family homes and duplexes for people ages 55 and older, but over a larger area, 308 acres. The new plan would expand the access points to the project from two to three, with an additional entrance added on County Street.

The plan would also be developed in phases, which some officials have said would slow the impact on the town’s schools and infrastructure. 

Health Board member Robert Poillucci said that this plan would not help Lakeville increase its affordable housing units. The state mandates that a town maintain 10 percent of its housing stock as affordable to have more control over future development.

He also questioned whether Itani could even build the number of units he is proposing, considering that much of the land is built on rock.

Building Commissioner Nate Darling countered that a developer would not be likely to sink money into a proposal that he does not plan to construct. 

The Planning Board sent a letter to the developer citing concerns about the open space bylaw housing plan. The board asked, among other requests, that the 55-and-older housing be guaranteed into the future and that no septic systems be placed under lots under 8,000 square feet.

Itani has not responded to the concerns about the open space bylaw or about potential negotiations for purchasing the property. 

Candito thanked the Planning Board for looking at possible options. Going along with an initial proposal, she said, might be easier. “It’s much harder to dig in and try to work with developers and try to figure out what would be best for the town.’’