After years of court battles and debate, Portland officials announced Wednesday they are gathering public input on what to do with an empty swath of land in the Bayside neighborhood.

The 3.5 acres off Somerset Street, split into four parcels between Trader Joe’s and Noyes Self Storage, remain some of Portland’s only undeveloped land. City officials hired The Boulos Company, a real estate broker, in February to value and hopefully sell the plots, either individually or as a package.

At that time, city councilors were divided on how the land should be used. Some wanted to see it used as a public park; others thought Portland should entertain reviving plans for a large residential or mixed-use development.

Now two months later, the city is launching an anonymous online survey for residents to submit their thoughts on what should happen to the land. There will also be two public meetings, on April 15 and April 29.

“This input will help shape the final marketing materials and development goals for the sites,” city spokesperson Jessica Grondin said in a press release.

Mayor Mark Dion said feedback from the public will “have a significant role to play” in forming a request for proposals that Boulos will issue to potential developers.

He expects that the views of the broader city and councilors will be “the real tension” as the issue moves forward.

The parcels are zoned for downtown business, which allows for both residential and commercial uses and a building height up to 185 feet.

Last month, Dion visited sixth graders at King Middle School, who had completed a project surrounding the vacant Midtown parcels. He said ideas from the students ranged from single-family homes to apartments and retail spaces. The designs also included playgrounds and gardens designed to help with drainage for land in the flood zone.

The site was previously planned to be the home of an $85 million housing development dubbed the “Midtown” project. The four 165-foot skyscrapers would have included hundreds of market-rate apartments and 100,000 square feet of retail space.

That project fell apart in 2018 following years of missed permits, legal battles and opposition from neighbors. In the time since, homeless encampments have occupied the land, making it a visible symbol of Portland’s housing crisis.

The city reacquired the land last year as part of a $15 million settlement with the Florida company behind the Midtown project.

A link to the survey can be found on the city’s Midtown project webpage. Results will be presented to the city’s Housing & Economic Development Committee at its May 19 meeting.

Staff Writer Andrew Rice contributed to this story.