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Developers vie for Broadway Corridor gig

By: Chuck Slothower//February 20, 2018//

Developers vie for Broadway Corridor gig

Chuck Slothower//February 20, 2018//

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A twin-tower proposal is one of nine pitches to in response to its request for qualifications for development of the Broadway Corridor. (Courtesy of )

Prosper Portland received nine responses to its request for qualifications as it seeks a master developer for the 32-acre Broadway Corridor, a spokesman said.

The city is seeking a qualified firm or team to guide development of the sprawling city-owned property that borders the Pearl District and Old Town Chinatown.

The responses came from local and national development teams, and some partnerships of local and national developers, said Shawn Uhlman, spokesman for Prosper Portland.

Sarah Harpole, a Prosper Portland project manager, is leading evaluation of the responses. The agency will evaluate whether the respondents meet minimum qualifications and then settle on a short list of approximately three potential developers or development teams, Uhlman said.

Prosper Portland is planning a public forum March 21 where the shortlist or semifinalists will be publicly revealed.

The only developer to publicly reveal its application was Kaven + Co., a Portland development firm. Kaven + Co. proposed an ambitious twin-tower design, with one tower that would reach higher than 970 feet – above Seattle’s Columbia Center, which currently is tops in the Pacific Northwest at 933 feet. Kaven + Co.’s proposal also calls for a high-speed underground rail line.

“It is our concept that there needs to be a strong vision,” said Daniel Kaven, founder of the development firm.

The Broadway Corridor is an opportunity to accommodate future growth, he said Monday.

“I am a true believer in building density,” he said. “I fundamentally believe that Portland is going to have enormous growth. If we’re not setting ourselves up for the potential of that growth and the density, we’re really shooting ourselves in the foot.”

Kaven’s proposal would dwarf any project the developer has done to date. It would require raising the city’s height limit for the site; last fall it was raised to 400 feet. That isn’t an unsolvable obstacle, he said.

“Three people on City Council right now could change the height on that property,” he said.

Prosper Portland cannot reveal details of the other proposals until it finalizes a short list, Uhlman said.

is working with Prosper Portland on a development strategy for the Broadway Corridor and a formal master plan for the 13.5-acre U.S. Postal Service property. The Postal Service property was acquired by Prosper Portland last year in a complicated swap with the federal agency. The Postal Service site alone is expected to gain $1 billion of development.

The Broadway Corridor offers a potentially enormous development opportunity in the heart of Portland. The city’s , published last year, envisions 3.8 million square feet of development along with parks, open space and transportation infrastructure.

Prosper Portland’s request for qualifications calls for a mix of affordable and market-rate housing. Developers were asked to demonstrate a commitment to racial equity and inclusion.

The Broadway Corridor is potentially the largest site amid a cohort of master-planned developments in the Portland area. The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry is also seeking a master developer for its 18-acre Southeast Portland campus. Zidell Yards in the South Waterfront District and the Waterfront in Vancouver, Washington, also have large, master-planned developments under way.



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