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One day, residents and visitors alike will be able to travel on an unbroken path from Portland’s Union Station through Old Town Chinatown and the Pearl District all the way to the West Hills.

What is this magical thruway? It’s Northwest Johnson Street.

As the design and planning process advances for the massive $1 billion-plus Broadway Corridor redevelopment, Johnson Street has emerged as the 鈥淢ain Street鈥� for the whole 32-acre area.

鈥淚 think the connection of Johnson is going to be more significant than we can imagine,鈥� said Nolan Lienhart, director of planning and urban design at ZGF Architects, the local firm that is heading up Broadway Corridor planning.

At present, the United States Postal Service‘s sorting facility blocks Northwest Johnson Street at Ninth Avenue. Planners and city officials believe demolition of that facility will unlock the broader redevelopment, including Johnson Street.

鈥淚 think we’ll all be stunned, when that facility goes away, what a hub of energy it will be,鈥� Lienhart said at a November luncheon hosted by CREW Portland. 鈥淚t’s going to be a vibrant part of our city that doesn’t exist today.鈥�

Planners envision development of a new commercial corridor on Johnson Street, which will divide the Broadway Corridor in half. To the north will be parcels set aside for commercial space totaling approximately 1 million square feet. That could go to one large company as an urban corporate campus, or it could be divided for smaller office users. The zoning is flexible, allowing for the market to help determine what goes there in years to come.

Buildings north of Johnson Street could be built up to 400 feet high. To the south will be mixed-income housing, retail and perhaps some office space, with a maximum height of 250 feet. The corridor would provide three contiguous blocks of ground-level activation.

鈥淲e really want buildings to front onto it,鈥� Lienhart said in an interview. He noted every other east-west street in the Broadway Corridor either crosses over Interstate 405 or runs into it. Northwest Johnson Street will offer a continuous, at-grade route into neighboring areas.

At street level, planners envision Northwest Johnson Street as an 80-foot-wide right of way with two-way vehicle traffic and a two-way cycle track where bicyclists will be separated from cars by a landscaped buffer. The street will be a designated neighborhood greenway, and connect directly with the city’s planned Green Loop.

While cars will be allowed on Johnson Street, nearby Irving and Kearney streets will be the primary east-west vehicle carriers in the area.

The Portland Housing Bureau is eyeing affordable housing projects, and there will also be space for market-rate projects that would include rent-restricted inclusionary housing units.

Broadway Corridor planning also offers an opportunity to build a fitting end for the Park Blocks. As they stand now, the Park Blocks terminate south of the Postal Service site in a surface parking lot bounded by Northwest Hoyt Street, Park Avenue, Glisan Street and Broadway. The Park Blocks currently have an 鈥渦nceremonious ending,鈥� Lienhart said. The Pacific Northwest College of Art, which neighbors the property, has been involved in discussions about a future park there.

ZGF is engaged in a $2.375 million contract with Prosper Portland for Broadway Corridor planning. Continuum Partners, the Denver-based company serving as development adviser, has helped shape plans behind the scenes. Continuum is negotiating a development agreement with Prosper Portland. The developer did not respond to a request for comment.

Demolition of the Postal Service facility is considered a crucial step. Prosper Portland last week issued a request for proposals for a demolition design team. In January, the agency plans to issue an RFP for a construction manager/general contractor to handle the demolition.

The demolition is tentatively slated to begin in early 2021. It’s expected to take 12 to 18 months, so construction on Johnson Street wouldn’t begin until 2022 at the earliest.

鈥淚t’s a complex demolition,鈥� Prosper Portland project manager Sarah Harpole said.

A retail shop for the U.S. Postal Service will be moved to an adjacent parking structure, as part of the city’s $88 million deal to buy the site from the federal government.

Prosper Portland is also working with various groups on a community benefits agreement, Harpole said. The agency hopes to encourage small, local retailers to take space in the Broadway Corridor area.

鈥淚 think of it as an affordable main street,鈥� Harpole said.