Black is
Beautiful
‘City
of
Roses’
Volume XLVII • Number 35
Public art
project draws
on positive
messages
Reducing the
Risk of Stroke
Legacy Emanuel
hits milestone with
‘Watchman’ implant
See story, page 5
See Local News, page 3
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • September 5, 2018
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
photo by D anny p eterson /t he p ortlanD o bserver
Tony DeFalco, deputy director of the nonprofit Verde organization, a group rooted in helping low-income communities in Portland, and Kimberly Branam, executive
director of Prosper Portland, the city’s economic development arm, oversee plans to develop 32 acres of prime Pearl District real estate for new housing and retail
development, dubbed the Broadway Corridor.
Trying to Get it Right
A Jobs and
justice mandate
for Broadway
development
b everly C orbell
t he p ortlanD o bserver
by
It’s no secret that Portland has misman-
aged economic and residential develop-
ment in the past and caused the diaspora of
much of its African American community.
But now the city is taking a different tact,
and forming an agreement with a coalition
of nonprofits to work with the developer
and the city to determine the scope of a
major downtown development.
Dubbed the Broadway Corridor, 32
acres of prime Pearl District real estate
purchased by the city for $88 million for
new housing and retail development, will
be governed by a Community Benefits
Agreement, or CPA to make sure the proj-
ect benefits Portland’s diverse and disad-
vantaged populations.
When Prosper Portland, the city’s de-
velopment arm, held a recent open house
about the property, which includes Union
Station and the 14-acre Main Post Office
distribution center, members of the Healthy
Communities Coalition packed the room
and made their voices heard.
The city listened, and the developer,
Continuum Partners of Denver, and the
coalition will share input on the aspects of
the development that will include at least
one high-rise building with retail shops and
thousands of new apartments.
Details to be agreed on include the num-
ber of low-income and disabled accessible
housing units, on-site affordable day care,
free public transit passes, jobs creation, and
more that will be spelled out in the coming
months, said Tony DeFalco, deputy direc-
tor of the nonprofit Verde, an organization
C ontinueD on p age 15