Portland officials say robust public response about how the city’s Midtown properties might be redeveloped has offered a clear direction: the 3.5 acres should become a mixed-use development that balances housing and recreation.

Following a public engagement process that included an online survey and two feedback sessions, the city’s housing and economic development committee will review the results Tuesday. Officials will then provide direction to The Boulos Co., which the city hired in February to market the parcels.

The lots along Somerset Street represent some of the only remaining undeveloped land on the Portland peninsula, but officials have so far not agreed on how to market them for development, leading to the decision to poll the public.

In response to a survey question asking residents to rank how the Midtown area should be prioritized, 62% of respondents chose housing as the number one priority. Recreation and open space ranked second and third, with 16.1% and 9.7%, respectively.

Another question asked residents to choose a “vision” that best matched what they’d like to see there. The largest share, 44%, chose “a mixed-use district where living, working and recreation are equally prioritized.” The next highest result was “an area focused primarily on multifamily housing,” at 31.5%.

Other uses listed were retail and dining, cultural spaces and parking.

A staff memo to councilors on Friday said the public feedback indicates “a clear priority” for housing-oriented development on the Midtown properties.

“The findings indicate broad support for a balanced approach to redevelopment that incorporates a diverse mix of residential, commercial, and community uses while maintaining housing affordability and sustainable design as key priorities,” said Assistant City Manager Dena Libner.

Libner said she wasn’t surprised by the results, but that the “broad consensus” for mixed-use projects was “noteworthy.”

The land in Portland’s Bayside neighborhood 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.

During one of the recent feedback sessions, roughly a dozen people cycled through, scanning large maps and using color-coded stickers and sticky notes to share their opinions.

Some notes said things like, “block party,” “dog park,” and “community center with aquatics facility.”

One comment said, “Amazing piece of land — a mix of uses, housing, commercial. Should be extremely well thought out.”

Another said the development should be 80% housing, 10% park, 10% playground.

Some, like David Margolis-Pineo, pointed out concerns for future flooding of the low-lying lots. He wondered whether the city should consider a more short-term use like housing for homeless.

Mary Davis, the city’s director of housing and community development, said any development will require some environmental remediation to encapsulate contaminated soils from previous uses.

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.

All four Midtown parcels also abut the Bayside trail, and respondents expressed support for recreation space that is integrated with the trail.

Libner said once Boulos solidifies the marketing materials, they will be brought back for committee or council review before being published.