Build more housing, affordable or otherwise. Carve out space for a city park. Court a major retailer like Target.

Those were just a few ideas floated Tuesday as Portland officials struggled to come up with a clear direction for how to market four connected and long-vacant Midtown parcels in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood.

The discussion will pivot to the full City Council later this month, when officials will likely review a draft request-for-proposals for marketing the lots — even as some are still undecided about whether they should be sold at all.

The lengthy housing and economic development committee discussion Tuesday came after city staff shared the results of a multiweek public engagement effort to glean feedback from residents on how they’d like the properties to be used. Staff said the 1,100 responses showed a clear priority for mixed-use development that features multifamily housing and open space.

However, councilors appeared overwhelmed with the vast sandbox of options, preferring to take their time to settle on the best use of the 3.5 acres on Somerset Street, which represent some of the last remaining undeveloped land on the Portland peninsula.

Councilor Kate Sykes offered the most specific ideas: sell some of it for mixed-use development with retail, and keep some of it for open space and a social housing project, where the city would retain some equity and ownership.

Her idea for retail: an urban location of the retail giant Target, which stemmed from a recent conversation with Portland middle schoolers who did a project on the Midtown land. Sykes said one student told her that with Reny’s now gone his family doesn’t have access to purchase affordable clothes, and that the city should give “serious” thought to the types of retail needed for neighborhood residents.

Councilor Sarah Michniewicz, who represents Bayside, said 900 housing units are already permitted in the neighborhood, and that another 1,000 or more could “conservatively” be coming in the future.

Because of that, she said, she “doesn’t have a particular interest” in marketing the parcels until a more thorough planning process has been undertaken and councilors have a better idea of what can be included in the RFP. She also believes a piece should be carved out for a city park.

John Finegan, an associate broker at The Boulos Co., which the city hired in February to market the parcels, told the committee that it has broad discretion to “put in anything.” He said that could include various types of housing, from social housing to luxury condos.

“The paradox of choice is what’s making it tricky,” he said, adding that he will attempt a draft RFP for the council to review at an upcoming workshop.

At one point Sykes suggested that Michniewicz take the lead in polling each councilor on their ideas for the lots, but the idea was met with some apprehension from city staff.

Finegan also assured councilors that no matter what, there’s a “long road ahead.”

Even after proposals come in, he said, the city will likely have to “rearrange the puzzle pieces” due to having multiple lots. Any projects selected would then have to make it through the planning board process.

“We might go through the whole process and then still decide we don’t want to sell after all,” he said.

Michniewicz responded that she’s being cautious in order to avoid that outcome.

The land was once slated to become an ambitious development featuring over 800 units and retail space in four multistory buildings. However, the project fell apart in 2018, sparking a multiyear legal battle between the city and the developer. The city reacquired the lots last year as part of a $15 million settlement.

The city hired Boulos earlier this year to market the lots for development, but a lack of consensus among councilors over how, or whether, to do so led to the decision to poll the public.

The Midtown lots are located in a zone that allows for a mix of housing, businesses, community spaces and recreation, with building heights of up to 180 feet, which translates to between 15 and 18 stories. The Casco apartment building on Federal Street is 18 stories and is the tallest building in the city and state, for now.