DENVER — A not-so-well-kept secret is out, as the Broncos officially announced plans for a Burnham Yard stadium set to open in 2031, almost exactly a mile from the existing Empower Field site.
The Broncos and city leaders claim taxpayers will be off the hook for the new stadium and a surrounding mixed-use district as the plans call for the Walton-Penner group – the richest owners in sports – to cover all of the costs.
It’s a “dream come true” for Denver Mayor Mike Johnston, who sat down with Denver7 Sports’ Lionel Bienvenu to talk about what a new stadium would mean for Denverites and area sports fans.
The mayor said a new stadium would make Denver “definitively the best sports city in America” for more than just the state-of-the-art facility and competitive on-field product.
“You'll now see us heading in a direction where every one of our stadiums will no longer have a stadium with 80 acres of parking lots. They'll all be fully activated neighborhoods,” Johnston said. “Like [what] we have at McGregor Square [near Coors Field], like we'll have at Ball Arena, River Mile, like we'll have at Santa Fe Yards and women's sports [...] Burnham has that same ambition to be a fully activated neighborhood and entertainment venue.”
Johnston said the new stadium all but guarantees that Denver will host its first-ever Super Bowl.
“Particularly the kind of stadium that I think this ownership group is going to build, everyone in the country is going to want to come see it,” he said. “The NFL is going to want to host it here. They would love to have the first ever Super Bowl in a Rocky Mountain region that's not on the coasts.”
The mayor also said a retractable roof stadiums will put Denver at the top of the list for high-profile events like the NCAA Final Four and major concerts.
What’s next for Burnham Yard?
There are no renderings for the stadium or an entertainment district just yet, and we don’t yet know the price tag for the development.
The next step is for the city to put together an area plan, Johnston said, which is common practice for any redeveloped or redesigned neighborhood in the city. The Broncos have also promised to conduct a community benefits agreement process.
“Together, we will work hand-in-hand with the Denver City Council, local neighborhoods and community organizations – including Denver Water – to shape this vision with their needs and priorities in mind,” the Broncos’ Tuesday morning announcement read in part.
Johnston said the team will build its vision for the stadium district over the next year before designing its plans for the site. The city will then finalize infrastructure and connectivity investments like sidewalks, bus stops and light rail stations.
What’s next for the current Empower Field site?
Johnston said the future of the existing stadium site is also a win for the city.
“We then get to sit down with community members and neighbors and say, ‘What do you dream that we can do with these 80 acres right in the middle of downtown in West Denver?’ That's an incredible win, too,” Johnston said. “So I couldn't be happier about what it's gonna mean for the city.”
Denver7’s Colette Bordelon is talking to leaders and community members to learn more about the future of the Empower Field plot. Her reporting will air on Denver7 News at 10 p.m. and we’ll update this space with a link to her coverage.