MONROE — The City Council moved one step closer Tuesday night to bringing a big-box store to town.

With a unanimous vote, the City Council authorized Mayor Robert Zimmerman to sign a purchase and sale agreement with a Seattle developer for 24 acres of land at the corner of North Kelsey Street and Chain Lake Road.

Sabey Corp. will pay $9.6 million for the city’s land after clearing a couple more hurdles.

The developer has until mid-April to closely review the property, making sure it is a sound piece of land, and needs to bring a site plan for the land’s development back to the council by mid-May.

Many believe the developer will attract to the site a big-box retailer, such as Wal-Mart, Costco or Target. That information likely will be included in the site plan.

Before the vote, Councilman Kurt Goering tried to amend the purchase and sale agreement by adding a “no Wal-Mart” clause.

That amendment was promptly rejected, with council members noting they still have final approval over the site plans.

“We still have something to say about it,” Councilman David Kennedy said.

Also Tuesday, the council discussed hiring a broker to market a separate 23-acre piece of land on the south side of North Kelsey Street.

The council was considering hiring either GVA Kidder Matthews of Seattle or Grubb &Ellis of Santa Ana. Calif.

Council members delayed a vote on the hiring until their Feb. 2 meeting, however, saying one of the brokers was seeking a higher-than-expected commission rate.

Specifics on those negotiations were discussed in executive session, which is closed to the public.