Dominic Anthony Walsh/Houston Public Media

As city officials prepare to open a large homeless services center in Houston's East Downtown, the city council on Wednesday temporarily delayed a measure that would effectively prohibit homeless people from sidewalks in a sprawling area around the planned facility.

The proposal came after some residents of East Downtown and Second Ward spoke out against the service center, which could temporarily shelter up to 320 homeless people at a time as they're referred to services and housing.

The addition of a new zone to the so-called civility ordinance across the Greater East End would mark the third expansion of the rule over the past year. The consideration comes as citations dramatically outpace the number of people moved into housing, despite

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