DENVER — The South Platte River Committee will continue discussions on Denver’s new professional women’s soccer team on Wednesday.
The last time the Denver City Council met to discuss the stadium, there were outstanding questions about how it would come together. That's where the committee will pick up on Wednesday, one Denver City Council member told Denver7.
Last month, the committee discussed five measures, but four of them were postponed — all of which involve the $50 million to prepare the land and a potential pedestrian bridge in the area.
Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez said that bridge is one of the pieces they'll discuss Wednesday, as it impacts the safety of fans traveling to and from the stadium.
“One of the concerns is that if people get to the light rail station, however they get to the light rail station and the soccer stadium is just on the other side of all these train tracks, most likely people are going to try and cross that way, which is extremely dangerous. So, the plan right now is to get people down and around through a different bridge,” Denver Councilwoman Flor Alvidrez said. “That is still in conversation, and a very important part of the conversation as well as how can we keep people safe in the meantime, what are the timelines for these projects.”
Alvidrez said RTD and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) are both supportive of the stadium. She added that CDOT is being mindful of how this affects cars, as well as pedestrian and bike safety.
In a statement Wednesday afternoon, RTD said: "RTD is an active partner in this project and looks forward to providing mobility options that will serve the future stadium."
Denver7 reached out to the NWSL team — Denver Summit FC — after last month’s meeting. In a statement, the organization said in-part:
“Given the challenges we have faced in the Denver city council process, we are currently pursuing a parallel path regarding the stadium site and engaging with other jurisdictions outside Denver. “
Denver7 spoke with Councilwoman Alvidrez about her reaction to that statement.
“I really don't appreciate those kinds of threats. I think it's harmful to community, and I think it's harmful to the whole conversation. I would hope that they would be more committed to the site with their strict timeline, and committed to this community, because it means a lot to this community to have this kind of investment, where District 7 has never gotten this type of investment from the city.”
Once these measures pass, they move onto the full Denver City Council for final approval.
