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Broadway Corridor lead development adviser selected

By: Chuck Slothower//April 10, 2018//

Broadway Corridor lead development adviser selected

Chuck Slothower//April 10, 2018//

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Mark Falcone, CEO and founder of Continuum Partners, speaks during a public forum for potential Broadway Corridor last month. Also pictured is the firm's development director, Frank Cannon. (Sam Tenney/91Ƶ)
Mark Falcone, CEO and founder of , speaks during a public forum for potential last month. Also pictured is the firm’s development director, Frank Cannon. (Sam Tenney/91Ƶ)

A Denver-based developer, Continuum Partners, is expected to become master developer of the 14-acre property in Northwest Portland.

Continuum Partners would take the lead on advising in redeveloping the site, which city officials regard as the linchpin of the 32-acre Broadway Corridor. A vote on selecting Continuum Partners is on the agenda for Prosper Portland’s board meeting on Wednesday.

Continuum Partners was widely preferred by Broadway Corridor advisory committee members, Prosper Portland spokesman Shawn Uhlman said.

Continuum will not be paid for its role as master developer. It will serve in an “advisory capacity,” with the right to negotiate exclusively for Prosper Portland’s portion of the Postal Service site, project manager Sarah Harpole said. The also controls part of the site; the bureau could partner with Continuum or opt for another developer for that area.

Continuum was one of three candidates that were invited to a public forum for finalists held March 21. The others were Related Companies and .

“We had three teams who had the capacity to deliver on the project,” Harpole said. “Continuum Partners rose above with their visions and values that were aligned with the visions and values we have for Broadway Corridor.”

Continuum’s experience forging partnerships with minority-owned contractors, redeveloping Denver’s Union Station and navigating large advisory boards also helped its pitch, Harpole said.

At the public forum, Continuum touted its success rejuvenating the Belmar shopping district in Lakewood, Colorado.

“We like to think that we healed the neighborhood with this project,” Continuum Partners founder and CEO Mark Falcone said.

Falcone and Continuum Partners Development Director Frank Cannon also pointed to the 9th and Colorado project, a 26-acre former teaching hospital site in Denver. For the 9th and Colorado project, Continuum delivered 110 units of affordable housing before any commercial buildings. The developer also built a bike hub at Denver’s Union Station with capacity to store 160 bicycles.

“We think of ourselves as human ecologists,” Falcone said. “We are in the business of building and shaping the human habitat.”

Continuum has experience navigating projects’ hurdles and challenges while maintaining an open dialogue with community partners, Falcone said.

“Integrity stands behind everything we do because a community’s trust is literally our only currency,” Falcone said. “Capital is a commodity; it’s easy to acquire. A community’s trust is not.”

Unlike the other developers that vied for the Broadway Corridor project, Continuum has not added local firms and nonprofit organizations to its team. Rather than presume knowing the best partners ahead of time, Continuum will in the next few months evaluate which local partnerships would benefit the project, Harpole said.

Cannon did not promptly respond to messages seeking comment on the company’s selection.

Also on Wednesday, Prosper Portland’s board is scheduled to authorize the agency to contract with to complete a development plan for the Broadway Corridor and a master plan for the Postal Service site. ZGF has served as a consultant to the steering committee.



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