DENVER — The Broncos are on a winning streak and not just on the field. Meantime, the Avs and Nuggets are both predicted to be two of the top teams in the NHL and NBA, respectively, this season.
Across Denver, the city is being redeveloped around sports – new stadiums, new districts, new ambition.
Denver’s sports franchises continue building momentum with electric plays and play-calling. We’re learning a lot about how these teams are also rewriting the playbook for entire neighborhoods.
“This is what you want. This is what economic growth is about,” said Darin Duber-Smith, retired sports marketing lecturer from Metropolitan State University of Denver. “It’s about creating things that are doing more for people.”
“Hopefully, this will lift the neighborhood from just a strictly warehouse neighborhood,” said Leonid Yuffa, co-founder and president of Dazbog Coffee Company in the Burnham Yard neighborhood, which the Broncos have announced as their new home, with a new proposed retractable roof stadium.
“Of course, it's going to bring more people,” said Shawna Hogue, owner of Shape Plus in the Burnham Yard neighborhood.
Massive new entertainment districts and reimagined neighborhoods are slated for where the new National Women’s Soccer League team – the Denver Summit – will play, where the Broncos will soon play at Burnham Yard, where the Broncos currently play at Empower Field at Mile High, and where the Nuggets and Avs play at Ball Arena.
All of these proposed stadiums and entertainment districts have one thing in common. They are all in central Denver and all hug the South Platte River and the Interstate 25 corridor through Denver.
“One of the unique attributes of Denver is that we have all our major sports teams downtown,” said Matt Mahoney, senior VP of business development for Kroenke Sports and Entertainment.
Stadium by stadium, district by district, Denver is building not just one field of dreams – but multiple at the same time.
And these stadiums don’t just come with seats; they come with entire zip codes.
“It’s the idea of building these sorts of cities within a city,” said Duber-Smith. “And it could be the most incredible thing that we have in the country.”
“It just speaks to how these ownership groups are invested in improving the experience for fans,” said Jen Millet, president of the Denver Summit FC.
Ball Arena and the “Great Wall of Speer”
Denver’s Ball Arena is more than a venue; it’s the anchor of a new neighborhood vision. But first there’s a barrier to break: the so‑called “Great Wall of Speer.”
“It’s a dangerous barrier for our fans and visitors to come from lower downtown or Union Station to the arena property,” said Mahoney. “Solving the Speer crossing is something we need to take care of right away.”
“Is that the first order of business for this redevelopment?” asked Denver7’s Russell Haythorn.
“It is our first order of business,” said Mahoney.
Redevelopment plans include a pedestrian bridge designed by Andy Rockmore, architect of Denver’s Millennium Bridge, which finally connected Union Station and LoDo to the Lower Highlands area in 2000.
“Denver is made of great neighborhoods, and connecting all of those neighborhoods together has been fruitful,” Rockmore said. “These bridges can become more than just connectors. They become really places in themselves – for people to gather.”
On the Ball Arena side of the new bridge, the plan includes a hotel, condos, and a new 5,000‑seat performance venue, complementing the existing 18,000‑seat Ball Arena.
“We committed to keeping our teams, the Nuggets and Avs, in Ball Arena through 2050,” said Mahoney. “We can develop a neighborhood around that commitment.”
Burnham Yard: The new home of the Broncos
What is now a rusted‑out rail yard could become the site of a retractable‑roof stadium and a whole mixed‑use entertainment district.
“NFL teams are real estate businesses that play football,” said Jeff Peshut, real estate professor at MSU Denver.
With the potential to host events 365 days a year, the new stadium will be built, financed, and owned entirely by the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group.
“You want to be free of city influence,” Duber-Smith said. “You want to own your own arena. You want to be in control of what you’re doing. They’re not going to make money off the stadium. They’re going to make money off all the other stuff.”
“We're excited,” Yuffa said. “As long as those plans are, you know, are thoughtful, inclusive of the community, and community-driven, I think it could be, it could be great.”
The Denver Summit: Women’s pro soccer comes to the Mile High City
Denver’s NWSL expansion team, Denver Summit FC, is already stirring excitement – with an unprecedented 15,000+ season ticket deposits in hand.
“This is a record for the NWSL,“ said Millet. “No team has ever reached that milestone as quickly as the Denver Summit.”
A once‑in‑a‑generation opportunity to transform Santa Fe Yards into a new hub for professional women’s sports, including outdoor recreation, restaurants, retail, and building connections to the community.
“We have the 99ers Bar, which only shows women’s sports and is always so packed you have to fight to get reservations,” said sports fan Juliana Evans. “So, we have the audience for it.”
The Summit’s stadium at Santa Fe Yards will anchor a broader entertainment ecosystem.
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Empower Field and the 80-acre question
When the Broncos move, the land around Empower Field becomes one of the city’s biggest redevelopment canvases.
“That’s going to leave 89 acres of developable real estate on the other side of I-25,” said Peshut.
And when asked whether Denver can absorb all this:
“Can Denver support all this?” Haythorn asked.
“Absolutely. There’s nothing that’s going to change it from being a growth city.”
The Infrastructure Challenge: Transit, Parking, and Accessibility
A few recurring themes anchor every stadium plan, including transit and walkability.
And all of these projects are being built as transit‑oriented developments, with emphasis on light rail, pedestrian flow, and easy access.
“You need to have a site where people can get to and get out from very easily, especially in terms of ease of access by light rail, which is absolutely critical,” said Andrew Goetz, transit expert at the University of Denver.
Parking & garage strategy
Parking is still a hot question. When Haythorn asked Mahoney, “Where are they going to park?” Mahoney replied, “We’ve thought of that. There will be garages attached to the new buildings in this entertainment district, and we’ve said, ‘Let’s park the event in that garage.’”
All sites include significant garage parking as part of their design, at least for now.
”And we have parking experts on our team that really help us financially model that,” Mahoney said.
Vision vs. reality
All of these projects hinge on a balance between ambition and community impact, cost and returns, and timing and capacity. Neighbors want assurances about equity, inclusion, displacement, and traffic.
“That will all be part of the equation,” Mahoney said.
“Thoughtful planning can do it,” Goetz said.
It’s an unprecedented, simultaneous build-out of multiple sports entertainment districts similar to what the Colorado Rockies have done with McGregor Square.
“And it should also be noted that what’s happening is they’re building housing,” Duber-Smith said. “And what we need is housing in this country. We’re millions of houses short. So these projects help to check that box, as well.”
“I think that the Broncos stadium will be another great opportunity to help with the growth and economy in our city,” Hogue said. "We can’t help but be excited.”
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