91视频

Terminal 1, Portland’s waterfront industrial property, will go back onto the market after city officials pulled the plug on developer Homer Williams’ proposed homeless shelter.

The city will seek industrial uses for the site, said Jim Blackwood, senior policy director for Commissioner Nick Fish.

鈥淥ur focus is still offers that leverage the existing heavy industrial zoning,鈥� Blackwood said.

Industrial land is scarce in Portland, and the right use at Terminal 1 would provide medium-wage jobs, he said.

鈥淲e are not interested in breaking the existing zoning,鈥� Blackwood said. 鈥淪ome of the offers we got before were contingent on zoning changes.鈥�

The property was yanked off the market in the middle of a bidding process when Williams came forward with his proposal for a large homeless shelter on the riverfront. At that point, the property had already attracted offers from Costco and other bidders.

Blackwood said he expects more offers to come in after the property is relisted.

鈥淲e had twice as many expressions of interest and tours of the property as we got offers,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e’re going to have a complete reset.鈥�

Williams on Wednesday issued a news release criticizing city commissioners for ending the Harbor of Hope proposal.

鈥淲e are surprised and tremendously disappointed in the city’s decision to reject our operation proposal and business plan 鈥� disappointed especially for the hundreds of people living on the streets who otherwise would have had an additional local shelter this fall,鈥� he stated.

The effort had raised more than $360,000, according to Williams.

On Wednesday, Blackwood was busily circulating an agenda item targeting the City Council’s Nov. 2 meeting to approve relisting the property. Blackwood said if the item doesn’t gather enough commissioners’ signatures in time for the Nov. 2 meeting, it will certainly be on the council’s Nov. 9 agenda.

The site at 2400 NW Front Ave. covers 14.5 acres and has a 96,000-square-foot warehouse.