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Food carts displaced by development of the Block 216 mixed-use tower may gain a new home nearby.

The city of Portland, food-cart owners and advocates are at work on a plan to relocate the businesses to Ankeny Square, a few blocks northeast of their previous location.

The parcel is bordered by West Burnside Street, Southwest Ankeny Street and Southwest Eighth and Park avenues. (The square is not to be confused with Ankeny Plaza, at Southwest First Avenue and Ankeny Street.) Neighboring businesses include Bailey’s Taproom, Santeria Mexican restaurant and the U.S. Outdoor Store.

About 30 food carts could fit around Ankeny Square, said Keith Jones, co-director of Friends of the Green Loop. The carts would be parked in the streets, which are sparsely trafficked, and not in the small square itself, Jones said.

Jones met Tuesday with staff from Commissioner Chloe Eudaly’s office, food-cart owners and city bureaus.

鈥淚t’s looking good,鈥� Jones said.

Eudaly’s chief of staff, Marshall Runkel, has been spearheading the city’s search. He could not be reached for comment.

Ankeny Square could become a long-term home for food carts, Jones said.

鈥淭hat’s what we prefer, honestly, over the North Park Blocks, because the North Park Blocks would have been temporary,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his way, this could be permanent.鈥�

The area may have infrastructure 鈥� including public restrooms, electricity, water and storage 鈥� available for cart owners, Jones said.

鈥淲e’re actually going through right now and measuring out all of the carts, because they’re all different sizes,鈥� Jones said. 鈥淲e’re figuring out which ones can go where.鈥�

The square is a short walk away for thousands of downtown workers, and close to popular tourist stops such as Powell’s City of Books.

鈥淚’m really happy they’re finding a spot for those businesses that are being uprooted,鈥� said Kristen Stovel, co-owner of North of West, a boutique at Southwest Ninth Avenue and West Burnside Street.

Dozens of food carts were evicted from Block 216 on June 30 to make way for a 35-story tower that will have a Ritz-Carlton hotel, condominiums and office space. At its height, the Block 216 pod had more than 50 food carts and grew to be an international attraction.

Their displacement caused consternation among foodies and cart owners, many of whom are first-generation immigrants.

Ankeny Square hosted a few food carts in two previous attempts. The experiments did not go well.

鈥淥ne cart would be open; they would get frustrated,鈥� said Geoffrey Phillips, owner of Bailey’s Taproom and The Upper Lip, two craft beer bars at Broadway and Ankeny Street. 鈥淲ithout having multiple carts open at the same time, it wasn’t going to get the foot traffic it needed to sustain itself.鈥�

Phillips expressed optimism that a larger pod would succeed at the location.

鈥淚f 30 carts are there, I definitely think it could work,鈥� he said.

City officials have discussed closing some of the streets near the square to vehicle traffic and eliminating curbside parking spots. A Portland Bureau of Transportation spokesman referred questions to Runkel.

The pod plan comes as more development is slated for West Burnside Street. Miami developer Lennar Corp. has won design approval for a seven-story multifamily building with 138 apartments and ground-floor retail space at the location of the shuttered Firestone tire shop at 815 W. Burnside St. A construction permit for the project is under review.