DENVER (KDVR) — While the Broncos stadium proposal announced Tuesday will likely boost Denver’s chances of hosting a Super Bowl and other events, economic experts say the greater benefit will be a boost to Denver’s economy.
Empower Field at Mile High stadium opened in 2001 at a cost of more than $400 million. The new multi-billion-dollar stadium will be located about a mile south of that location. Construction is expected to be completed by 2031.
“It’s an area that was waiting to be redeveloped,” Dr. Andrew Goetz of the University of Denver told FOX31.
The 58-acre abandoned railyard is slated to host a state-of-the-art football stadium with a retractable roof. The project is privately funded by the Walton-Penner ownership group.
How to get involved with the city’s planning process
– Denver’s Burnham Yard community planning site
– Burnham Yard planning newsletter (from City of Denver)
– Empower Field site planning newsletter (from City of Denver)
The city will create a major development featuring housing and retail on the land where Empower Field now stands. Now that the announcement has been made, the city will begin the official planning and land use process.
“The Broncos will likely be going through their own plan of what do they want to develop on their particular property it will likely not be just a stadium it will likely be a lot of buildings, businesses, (and) retail” District 3 Councilwoman Jaime Torres told FOX31.
The city pledges to work with residents in the La Alma, Lincoln Park, and Baker neighborhoods, as well as businesses along Federal Boulevard, in an effort to gather important feedback.
“It will likely be housing and business and a full extension of what neighborhoods are both in Sun Valley and Jefferson Park in West Colfax that already surround that property,” said Torres.
Broncos Plan New Stadium
With all of the concentrated growth comes concerns about transportation.
“The traffic around that area will increase once the new stadium is in place one of the positive elements that I think is really good is that it will be served by rail transit as well as buses.” said Dr. Goetz.
Burnham Yard represents an important piece of Colorado’s rich history used by major railroad companies before Colorado was even declared a state.
Members of the Historic Denver organization have voiced concerns about the use of the land but issued a statement to FOX31 on Tuesday. “Historic Denver is thrilled that one of Denver’s most recognizable organizations plans to relocate to one of the city’s most historic sites. Other sports facilities across the country show that the old and the new can go hand-in-hand and we are excited to see how designers rise to the challenge of integrating the existing historic locomotive shop into a state-of-the-art new structure.”
Anthony Sutton is a business strategist and writer with a passion for management, leadership, and entrepreneurship. With years of experience in the corporate world, he shares insights on business growth, strategy, and innovation through management-opleiding.org.
