LONE TREE, Colo. — Before Burnham Yard was officially named the new home of the Denver Broncos stadium, there was a lot of chatter and speculation over where it could have gone.
To find one of those "almost" locations, one could take the E Line and get off at the stop that takes you seemingly to nothing—also known as the Lone Tree City Center.
The 440-acre parcel is currently sitting vacant.
"What we're really looking for is the opportunity to build up to 10 million square feet of commercial space, potentially 6,000-8,000 new residents, and, of course, a very vibrant economy supporting it," said Jeff Holwell, director of economic development & public affairs with the City of Lone Tree.
The city said the parcel is about the size of Lower Downtown Denver, from Ball Arena to Coors Field.
"This is the last major parcel for commercial development," Holwell said.
It may not look like much on the surface, but beneath the surface, all the infrastructure —like water and power —is already in place, making it shovel-ready. Right next door is an RTD stop waiting to be used.
"What was so great about the Broncos is that it actually perfectly fit our vision that we had for this property since this property was annexed in 2000," said Holwell, "It just seemed like an interesting fit, and we showed them why it might be a good location for their new stadium."
As we know now, it wasn't meant to be.
"We will always be Broncos fans, of course, and championing them, hopefully to a really successful, long season ahead. But most importantly, I wanted to extend my gratitude to the Broncos leadership and their organization for considering this site," said Lone Tree Mayor Marissa Harmon.
Harmon added that the buzz may have helped lead to what could be the future of the City Center property.
"Having the Denver Broncos consider this site as their potential future use has really been a catalyst for other developers to reach out with some really exciting ideas on what the future of the Downtown City Center could be," she added. "We are excited to be able to share more when we can."
The land is privately owned; however, the owner and city have agreed on a specific vision, laid out in the Lone Tree City Center Subarea Plan.
Read through the entire plan below:
"The whole opportunity at this station is a grand development of mixed-use product, including office, residential, hospitality, entertainment, potentially a world headquarters of a business," said Holwell.
He said the city is hopeful that, within the next five years, the future of that property will begin to take shape.
