LEICESTER, Mass.  Town leaders say voters in Leicester made history on Tuesday night. 

"They supported it. They strongly supported it," John Shocik, a Leicester selectman, said. "They want us to do this."

Residents overwhelmingly backed the town's purchase of the former Becker College property by a 1,222 to 205 vote. 

"I think it was an amazing steal. We paid less than $18 million for 44 acres of land that is assessed at well over $50 million," Kristen Forsberg, the assistant town administrator, said. "I think it is a smart deal for the town."

What You Need To Know

  •  By a 1,222-205 vote, residents in Leicester supported the town's purchase of the former Becker College property

  • Town leaders plan to redevelop the center of town, use part of the campus for a new high school

  •  Most residents are excited and say they hope the project benefits the entire community

  • No official next step, town leaders say they are working to minimize costs
​A week ago, business owner Bob Luciw would have voted against the plan. Now, Luciw says he is on board and understands why most people in town are excited. 

"Originally I was against it," Luciw said. "But, the more I thought about it and the more people I spoke to, I think it is a very, very good move. ​"

Town leaders believe everyone in town will benefit from this property and residents like Luciw hope they're right. 

"It has to somehow go back to the people. If somehow they could manage to help out the residents of Leicester," Luciw said. "That would be tremendous."

​The plan is to redevelop the center of the town and transform part of the campus into a new high school. 

There's no hard date for the next step in the process. The town said they are working to come up with ways to get the most for their money.

"For the other buildings, we are looking at state aid to see what we can do for them," Shocik said. "Possibly sell some of them."

"Bringing in revenue that way will offset the cost of operation," Forsberg said. "We basically want to make it self supporting project."

Forsberg says there will be plenty of opportunities for residents to give their input about decisions regarding the property in the future.