Amazon is one step closer to establishing a foothold in southern Maine.

The Gorham Town Council approved in a 5-2 vote the sale of a 94-acre parcel off Main Street to the megaretailer for $4 million at a special meeting Tuesday evening.

The purchase is not final — the company and town both still have the option to back out, though Gorham could be required to reimburse costs Amazon incurs in the permitting process if the town nixes the agreement. Councilors and town staff noted that previous sale agreements for the parcel have fallen through when businesses backed out after encountering a snag in the permitting process.

“Just because we have a contract doesn’t mean, in the end, they’re going to buy it,” said Thomas Poirier, the town’s director of community development.

The planning boar

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