RUMFORD – Selectmen on Thursday unanimously recommended that the town accept at no cost the Abbott Farm Plaza and nearly 78.6 acres adjacent to it from the Druker Corp. of Boston.

Residents at a special town meeting on Oct. 5 must approve accepting the building and land before any development plans can go ahead.

The former shopping center has been virtually vacant since Ames Department Store went bankrupt two years ago. The building complex includes the Ames store, a former grocery store, and several smaller, connected buildings. The last tenant, the Dollar Store, is scheduled to leave by the middle of this month. Land not part of the deal includes the Sweetser farm on the west side of the front of the complex.

Residents will have a chance to present ideas for use of the former shopping center and get information on it at the board’s next regular meeting Sept. 16.

One thing board Chairman Jim Thibodeau doesn’t want at the complex is nonprofit ownership.

“We have too many now,” he said.

Currently, the property is valued at just over $2.5 million and pays about $48,000 annually in real estate taxes.

Between now and October, the town’s lawyer, Jennifer Kreckel, will conduct a title search to ensure that no liens exist against any of the buildings or land, while the town’s code enforcement officer, Andy Russell, will check out the buildings’ condition.

A figure must also be developed showing the costs the town must bear to maintain the building until new owners take over the complex.

Realtor Roger Whitehouse is optimistic a buyer for the shopping center can be found.

“I have had investors from Massachusetts interested in this property. We’ve been in touch with other developers, and if one anchor is found, they would buy it,” he said.

Town Manager Robert Welch said the Druker Corp. has not been interested in selling the complex. He was surprised at the suddenness of the corporation’s decision to donate it to the town. He said that as late as early May, he had called the corporation to ask about its status and was told nothing.

Selectman Jolene Lovejoy brought the matter to the board after receiving a phone call from the corporation’s lawyer, indicating that the company wanted to divest itself of the property.

She said the town will have an extensive informational package prepared in time for the Oct. 5 town meeting.