POSSESSION POINT — Hikers who make their way up the 400-foot climb to the top of the Dorothy Cleveland Trail are rewarded with breathtaking views of Possession Sound and the ferry as it chugs toward the mainland.

The only thing missing amid the towering Douglas fir trees at the top of the ridge: a “for sale” sign.

Port of South Whidbey commissioners agreed this week to put 14 acres of port property up for sale, and the land includes the top of the trail and the spot that’s earned notoriety as the potential location for a cell phone tower.

The price of the property is $235,000, and the land has been listed for sale with Coldwell Banker Tara for 90 days.

South Whidbey residents who want the trail preserved, and nearby neighbors opposed to a cell phone tower in their neighborhood, said the port has overpriced the property. Some worry that the high price tag will make it harder for a public purchase of the land that would keep it as undeveloped park land, and are hoping to rally the community to save the property.

Clyde Monma, a nearby property owner and longtime critic of the cell tower proposal, called the sale price for the property “ridiculous.”

“They’re listing it for five times the assessed value,” he said. “By doing that, I think they are saying, ‘Well, we just want to sell it to the highest bidder.’”

“They basically don’t care,” Monma said. “They just want to get however much money as they can out of it, and whoever buys it can do whatever they want with it.”

Monma said port commissioners could have protected the Dorothy Cleveland Trail via a protective easement before moving to sell the property, but didn’t.

Port Commissioner Geoff Tapert said the board had earlier estimated the land would sell for $200,000 — which some port officials thought was a high number, as well — but the list price came from a comparative market analysis that was prepared by Tom White of Coldwell Banker Tara.

“I don’t know that we will get an offer that high,” Tapert said.

He noted that he owns several undeveloped lots that have been on the market for three years that haven’t drawn offers.

The port property, however, offers commanding views from Whidbey’s southernmost end. The real estate listing boasts “beautiful park-like acreage.”

“Build your dream home and enjoy the view and wildlife from the many trails that crisscross up from the Possession Beach park below,” it says.

Tapert said two parties — he wasn’t exactly sure who — had already expressed interest in buying the land. There was always the potential the property could be sold near its list price, he said.

“If we get into a bidding war, which would be crazy in this economy, it could eventually go for that price,” he said.

Tapert said that port officials can agree to take less than the asking price, and would give consideration to a purchaser who would grant an easement to protect the trail.

Tapert said the port did not protect the trail with an easement because it would have impacted the sales price. The port is also focused on economic development, and has shifted away from owning and maintaining recreational facilities such as parks that were a hallmark of the port’s efforts in years past.

“We need to get the highest price,” Tapert said. “In any business if you are selling something, you want to get the highest value.”

He also said there was no rush to sell the property, and if no offers are received, the port could reevaluate the sale at the end of the 90-day listing period.

The port property has spurred headlines since late 2009, when AT&T representatives sought permission to place a 140-foot cell phone tower on the ridge above Possession Point.

The proposed tower site is just 35 feet from the Dorothy Cleveland Trail, a popular outdoor recreation area which starts at the Possession Point waterfront.

Though some supported the cell tower project because of the potential for increased phone coverage throughout South Whidbey, nearby homeowners said the tower would be an obtrusive eyesore and a possible health hazard. Others have trumpeted the value of the port property as prime wildlife habitat that shouldn’t be disturbed by commercial development.

Monma, who recently helped form “Friends of the Dorothy Cleveland Trail” to help save the property, said the steeply sloping property would be hard to develop.

“Most of this land is totally unbuildable,” he said.

“You could build a house here, but it wouldn’t have a view,” Monma said, motioning toward the western downslope area of the property near Lupine Lane during a visit to the property Thursday.

Residents who want the property preserved have talked about raising the funds to buy the property themselves, he said, but that was when they imagined the land would sell for around $50,000.

Monma is hopeful that public pressure will lead to the preservation of the trail.

“In the end, I don’t care who owns it, I just want to protect the trail and park.

“I’m optimistic that the trail will be preserved. And if they sell it to someone who wants to build a cell tower, I’m convinced we could stop it,” he said.