Updated at 6:22 p.m.

Even if Amazon chooses another city for its second headquarters, Portland has big plans for the Pearl District Post Office site – including affordable housing and living-wage jobs.

The city's urban renewal agency, Prosper Portland, on Wednesday opened the door for developers to submit applications to craft a master plan for the 32 acres at the base of the Broadway Bridge. Officials anticipate redevelopment of the newly dubbed Broadway Corridor district would bring in more than $1 billion in investment.



The request envisions a high-density, mixed-used neighborhood that would benefit from the nearby Amtrak train station and serve as a gateway to the city.

It also comes less than a month after Portland included the site – along with several other downtown blocks – in its pitch for Amazon's second headquarters, a $5 billion project promising 50,000 jobs. Unlike some other cities, Portland offered no special incentives in its proposal, documents showed. Given its proximity to the retail giant's headquarters in Seattle, Portland is seen as a long-shot for Amazon's second home.

Prosper spokesman Shawn Uhlman said Wednesday's call for developers doesn't mean Portland is giving up on Amazon.

"We need to move forward with a master plan process regardless of who the tenants may be," he said. If Amazon does choose Portland, he said, "we would just work to implement them into this master planning process as a significant tenant."

Wednesday's request, first reported by the Portland Business Journal, called for a developer practiced in public-private partnerships, and one familiar with high-density, mixed-use and mixed-income projects.

This map shows the blocks that compose the Broadway Corridor.

According to the request, developable blocks of the Broadway Corridor owned by the city include the Post Office superblock site, a block under the Broadway Bridge and two more blocks on Broadway. Greyhound, which operates a bus station at Sixth and Hoyt, may downsize, freeing up more space.

Prosper paid $88 million for the Post Office site last year. The Post Office will move to a new facility next to the airport.

The Broadway Corridor also encompasses Union Station, the Pacific Northwest College of Art, the future site of the Multnomah County Health Department headquarters and the Bud Clark Commons, which houses a homeless shelter and supportive housing. Prosper's plans also call for a park at Park and Glisan, extending the North Park Blocks.

In a letter included in the request, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler called for a bold and iconic design, and said the blocks represent a "rare and tremendous opportunity" to create a landmark development in the heart of the city.

"I want Portlanders to continue to be able to live in a bikable and walkable neighborhood to position the Broadway Corridor as both a transportation hub and a gateway to the city," he wrote.

Prosper chair Gustavo Cruz said in the request that the right developer would be able to deliver affordable housing, environmentally friendly structures and public spaces.

"The Broadway Corridor will be a laboratory of inclusion and opportunity, changing Portland's downtown landscape in a way that touches residents from every neighborhood, income level and cultural community," he wrote.

Prosper expects to select a developer in April and have a master plan for the Broadway Corridor by mid-2019. Prosper also is looking to recoup at least $40 million, the amount it owes the city for a loan it took out to buy the Post Office property.

-- Anna Marum

amarum@oregonian.com

503-294-5911

@annamarum