Image courtesy of Procopio Cos.

An 18-year effort by the city of Haverhill to encourage transit-oriented development near Bradford station on the MBTA commuter rail is gaining traction with a potential sale to a Lynnfield developer.

Procopio Cos. responded to the city’s most recent offering to buy the 4.8-acre parcel at 31-35 Railroad Ave. for a mixed-use development. The developer offered $1 million for the acquisition.

Mayor James Fiorentini is asking the city council to approve the transaction, which could deliver $17.3 million in taxes to the city over the next 20 years, according to an announcement from the mayor’s office.

Plans call for 290 housing units, 10,000 square feet of restaurant and/or retail space, a public park and amphitheater, walkways and a boat launch.

It’s the fourth time in 18 years that the city has sought a private developer for the wooded site on the Merrimack River, which formerly contained the Ornsteen Heel factory. The development would generate 289 construction jobs and up to 30 permanent retail-restaurant jobs, according to the mayor’s office.

City councilors selected Procopio Cos. as the preferred developer over two other applicants that submitted proposals last year, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing Inc. of East Boston and Lowell-based Princeton Properties.

The city council is scheduled to review the sale proposal at tonight’s meeting, which would clear the way for Procopio Cos. to begin the land-use permitting process.