All’s well that ends well in Stratford. The Shakespeare Festival Theater, dark since 1989, has been returned to the town by the state Department of Environmental Protection.

The happy ending for the theater is the result of a compromise with the state. Among the stipulations of the transfer are requirements that 20 percent of the property remain open space; that it be accessible to the public in perpetuity; and that the property is transferred in “as is” condition, subject to all liens against the title.

The rub was in the state’s “open space” requirement. Town officials had wanted to develop most of the property as a multi-use site that could include a restaurant, hotel, or other amenities.

Stratford likely will have to absorb about $100,000 to $200,000 in liens — considerably less than the $300,000 previously estimated, say officials.