City Of Denver Weighs In On Broncos Stadium Plans

The Denver Broncos have big plans when it comes to building their new stadium, and those plans took another step forward when the city of Denver released its draft of its “vision” for teh area around the Broncos’ proposed new stadium at Burnham Yards on Wednesday, according to a piece written by Elliott Wenzler of the Denver Post. 

The draft is intended to act as a non-binding guide to development, per Wenzler, and the document describest values and goals for the project that include affordable housing, honoring the local history of the site and its place in city history, and expanding economic opportunities for both residents and businesses, among other things. 

Those goals may or may not align with those the Broncos have. They want to make money by turning the area into a mixed-use, football-based area that increases economic opportunities and fills the coffers of owner Greg Penner and his business group. 

Denver mayor Mike Johnston got in on the act when the plan was released with a news release that mirrored the stated goals in the document, painting an idyllic picture of an area that will make a lot of money for someone once it's developed. 

The breakdown here is that this is part of the back-and-forth that happens when NFL teams go to build their lucrative new sports palaces. Some cities and areas are more eager than others to accommodate the team as part of providing funding, but based on this document, it’s fair to say that Denver probably isn’t one of them. 

Native American groups also weighed in on what they want to happen, citing their extensive history in the area as well. The city has worked on this plan by getting feedback from thousands of residents from surrounding neighborhoods, per Wenzler, with various historical markers also being part of the plan. 

Usually owner Greg Penner is happy to be part of these kinds of proceedings, but his comments were noticeably absent from all of this. The team ceded comment to Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth, who noted in a statement that the Broncos are “pleased to see this part of the city’s process progressing forward.”

The statement also mentioned that there are “plenty of details” that still have to be worked out to bring this “shared vision” to life, with the Broncos hoping to start construction next spring. 

There’s a lot of urban bartering and horse trading to be done here, including issues about a water maintenance facility that may or may not need to be moved. A lot needs to happen in the coming months, and there may be some uphill battles for the Broncos along the way.