— The City Council on Tuesday approved a temporary food distribution facility for the homeless near Moore Square in downtown Raleigh.

Raleigh officials have been studying the issue since August, when volunteers said they were kicked out of Moore Square and threatened with arrest for feeding the homeless there.

The city established a Food Distribution Task Force to study alternatives to food handouts. The group determined the best option is to use a vacant warehouse at 215 S. Person St., behind the former downtown Salvation Army, as a temporary distribution center.

The 3,200-square-foot warehouse is owned by the city. Officials estimate it will cost $111,000 to convert the building into a center where meals could be served on Saturdays and Sundays until a permanent facility can be established. It would cost an estimated $58,000 a year to run the warehouse, officials said.

Officials said they would seek donations from the private sector to offset costs, and the city would operate the facility as a partnership with nonprofits that feed the homeless.