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.

“Everybody involved, the committee, was pleased with how thoughtful the responses were,” he said.

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

“It’s still to be determined for each team,” 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.

“Given 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,” 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 , 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.

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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.

ZGF Architects 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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