Broncos Express Frustration Over Slow Stadium Build

The Denver Broncos have big plans for this season, and they’re not just on the field. The Broncos are building a new stadium at the Burnham Yard site in Denver, and the build is going slower than some Broncos executives would prefer. 

“It’s been almost a year since we announced Burnham Yard as our preferred site,” Broncos president Damani Leech told reporters in a report from Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It remains our preferred site. We’re laser focused on delivering it by 2031. It’s been a great effort by ownership, ourselves, the staff, the city.”

But the process hasn’t been smooth as silk by any means. Other parties have an interest in both the area and the site, especially since the Broncos are building a multi-use stadium that includes a complete business plan for stores, recreation areas and other amenities that go well beyond game day on Sunday. 

“I’ve got to be honest, I wish we were further along in some areas than we are now,” Leech added. “I think areas where we do control, particularly real estate, you mentioned Burnham Yard, real estate, engaging with the community, we’ve done site tours of the location, the design of the stadium continues to evolve, the master plan continues to evolve. All of those things are moving along really, really well, but we also understand that we can’t do this alone.” 

The holdup that Leech mentioned seems to be about those community members, who have to be engaged with and placated at multiple levels. It’s not an easy process to go through, and it takes time. 

“There are certain things we don’t control,” Leech said. “I think as an example, the community benefits process is something that we can’t control. We’ve had a lot of initial great discussions with community representatives. More recently here, it’s been on more of a staff level. 

“We’re eager to engage with those community members directly, understand what they’re looking for, what needs and interests they have on the development. Things like that, we have to continue to progress. We said many months ago, this is an ambitious timeline, so for that to happen, we need everybody to be involved. We can’t do it alone in order to get to 2031.”

The goal is to open the stadium by 2031, and Leech added that that’s “still achievable for sure.” But “everybody has to be involved,” Leech stated, and the process has also been slowed by an investigation into the accidental death of a construction worker at the site. 

“I’ll be honest, there are days when I have concern,” Leech said when he was asked about the frustration factor, “there are days when I have frustration because you can’t control it all, so I think that’s fair.”