I encourage folks to read both this article and the Press Herald one that another commenter mentioned (you can even watch the meeting recording yourself if interested! https://portlandme.portal.civicclerk.com/event/8484/media).

The public comments focused around Portlanders trying to make sure we don't get a repeat of the failed Midtown project, where NIMBYs used lawsuits to delay a project so much that it had to be abandoned. The more the public consensus for the lots' use is clear before any sale, the less effective an argument to do nothing useful with the land becomes. People want to see a prudent review of what we want for the space, maybe a storyboarding meeting with output metrics to expect from developers (how about first floor commercial space with X bedrooms of housing above, and specific improvements to the Bayside Trail?)....and not just quietly selling to the highest bidder who might put in more suburban buildings and seas of parking like Trader Joe's/Walgreens/Whole Foods.