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Two Denver-based developers and a partnership with local ties were named Friday to a short list of candidates to be master developer of the 32-acre Broadway Corridor area in Northwest Portland.

The companies are Continuum Partners, based in Denver; McWhinney, also a Denver firm; and a third team of Related Cos., based in New York City, in partnership with two Portland entities, Melvin Mark and Central City Concern.

The developers were culled from nine responses to a request for qualifications that Prosper Portland issued in November. The agency will host a public forum on March 21 to hear presentations from the developers.

Prosper Portland sought to evaluate the firms’ experience in completing projects of similar scope, said Shawn Uhlman, spokesman for the agency.

鈥淓verybody involved, the committee, was pleased with how thoughtful the responses were,鈥� he said.

Developers may choose to add local partners as the process advances, Uhlman said.

鈥淚t’s still to be determined for each team,鈥� he said.

The short list did not include Kaven + Co., a Portland firm that proposed a 970-foot-tall twin-tower skyscraper, although it’s possible the local company could emerge as a partner to one of the larger firms.

Continuum Partners pointed to its experience redeveloping Denver’s Union Station. Portland’s own Union Station is part of the Broadway Corridor study area. Continuum also led development of Belmar, a 22-block mixed-use district in Lakewood, Colorado.

McWhinney lists as part of its development team HaKe Development, a nonprofit developer led by Thomas J. Kemper, a local real estate investor and developer, and William F. Hart Jr., a founding partner of Carleton Hart Architecture.

Bruce Wood, a former Portland Development Commission executive, is also part of the McWhinney team. Local consultants for McWhinney include Beam Development and Mortenson Construction.

The proposed James Beard Public Market is also tied to the McWhinney bid.

In the Related Cos. pitch, the firm’s San Francisco office, led by Related California CEO Bill Witte, and Melvin Mark’s development arm will act jointly as lead developer with shared decision-making. Central City Concern will work with Related California to build 30 percent of the housing mix as affordable housing.

鈥淕iven that the committee views the Broadway Corridor as a once-in-a-generation opportunity, I was pleased to see responses from developer teams that clearly indicate they have the qualifications and proven experience to deliver on a project of this scope and scale,鈥� Nathan Kadish, chairman of the Broadway Corridor steering committee, stated in a news release.

Melvin Mark Cos. CEO Jim Mark declined to comment on the Broadway Corridor bid.

Agency staff members are tentatively scheduled to recommend a development team to the Board of Commissioners at a May 9 meeting. A memorandum of understanding between the developer and agency would follow, and later, a development agreement.

The master developer will work with ZGF Architects to design a thorough redevelopment of the Broadway Corridor, including the 13.5-acre U.S. Postal Service site.

The city’s聽, published last year, envisions 3.8 million square feet of development along with parks, open space and transportation infrastructure. The plan calls for building nearly 2.1 million square feet of residential space, including a large amount of affordable housing.

In October, the City Council agreed to increase allowable building heights in the Broadway Corridor to 450 feet north of Northwest Johnson Street and 250 feet south of it.