Portland City Council Divided on Future of Terminal One North

The Portland City Council is divided over the future of Terminal One, a 14-acre site owned by the city's Bureau of Environmental Services.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman is getting ready to propose turning it into a homeless shelter.

The problem is that the bureau is under the control of Commissioner Nick Fish who not only doesn't think it's a good idea, he's put the property up for sale - as directed to do by the city council earlier this year.

"I do not believe a homeless shelter is an appropriate use for Terminal One," he said. "I am frankly shocked that any consideration would be given to concentrating vulnerable members of our community in an aging warehouse on the river."

If Saltzman moves forward with the proposal, it would be a victory for developers Homer Williams and Dike Dame who have suggested the space could be turned into a shelter for up to 1,400 people.

Mayor Charlie Hales and Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler have both talked positively about the project.

Last month, Fish sent a memo to his colleagues on the council outlining problems with turning it into a shelter.

High on the list, he wrote, is current "zoning does not allow for shelters or schools, and the Greenway River Overlaw Zone requires river-dependent uses."

Fish wrote that he does like the idea of an "Oregon Trail of Hope" type program and encourages the "Council to undertake a broad survey of all available land (public and private) to identify a more suitable site."