ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — For more than six decades, the Broncos' rich tradition has been intertwined with the city of Denver.
That shared history has an opportunity to continue, as the Broncos, the city of Denver and the state of Colorado announced Burnham Yard on Tuesday as the preferred site for a privately funded retractable roof stadium anchoring a mixed-use district. The project will include city and state support for public improvements with no new taxes.
The announcement came following a comprehensive and collaborative process that spanned several years.
"It's our goal to have world-class facilities for this team and for our fans, obviously, with the rich tradition and history at Mile High, and find something that the fans would love as a site that had proximity to that and Denver," Owner & CEO Greg Penner said. "We couldn't be more excited about Burnham Yard as the preferred site to build a new stadium and an incredible year-round destination."
Penner noted the significance of the milestone but stressed the Broncos have "a long way to go" as they enter a more transparent phase of engagement with the community. To that end, the Broncos have committed to engaging in a strong and inclusive Community Benefits Agreement process with the Denver City Council.
"We've got to roll up our sleeves and get to work," Penner said. "We think it's really important to have an open and transparent process as we go through the next couple of years of planning. We'll get lots of input from others in the community, and we're looking forward to that."
Spanning more than 100 acres, the stadium-anchored community hub will serve as a year-round sports and entertainment destination for both fans and visitors to the city.
"From Day One when we got here, we have been thinking about what a future stadium and home for the Broncos might look like," Owner Carrie Walton Penner said. "That's always been intertwined with Denver."
Located less than a mile southeast of Empower Field at Mile High along the I-25 corridor, Burnham Yard is situated between 6th and 13th avenues to the south and north and bordered by Seminole Road and Osage Street to the west and east, respectively.
Formerly a downtown railyard that predates Colorado statehood, Burnham Yard served as a major economic hub in Denver for nearly 150 years. Burnham Yard ceased all operations in 2016, and the site was sold to the state of Colorado in 2021.
"It leans into the history of Denver, and having Burnham Yard and the large locomotive building that's there at the center of Burnham Yard is really exciting to be able to highlight not only the stadium in Denver and our partnership with the city, but also the history of Denver [and] the history of the region with the railyards," Walton Penner said.
The Broncos have conceptual agreements with the state to purchase the 58-acre site of Burnham Yard, as well with Denver Water to purchase 25 acres of land. Private real estate acquisitions will comprise the remainder of the preferred site.
"The Broncos are very much part of our identity as a state and, of course, the city of Denver," Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said. "And I couldn't be more thrilled that the city of Denver and state of Colorado are going to work with the Broncos to ensure that the Denver Broncos will be here in style for another generation."
Added Denver Mayor Mike Johnston: "This is one of the longest running city-NFL franchise partnerships. I grew up as a kid watching Broncos games and coming to the Broncos' stadium, and to know that there will be another two generations of kids who will grow up being able to walk down the street in Denver and see their favorite football team will be an amazing gift for the city for generations to come."
Both the stadium and mixed-use district will be funded through a private investment from the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group, while the city and state will provide public improvements benefitting the community year-round with no new taxes.
"The Walton-Penner [Family] Ownership Group has been amazing partners for us," Polis said. "They said very early on, 'Our model is not going to the taxpayers and asking for hundreds of millions of dollars like stadium deals of the past. We're going to finance this and figure it out.'"
The targeted completion date for the new stadium is the 2031 season, which aligns with the expiration of the Broncos' current lease at Empower Field at Mile High with the Metropolitan Football Stadium District. The Broncos have the option to extend the lease, if needed.
The Broncos' new stadium will showcase innovative technology and modern amenities to elevate the fan experience, enhance Denver's home-field advantage and attract premier events throughout the year.
The initial design concepts for the stadium include a natural grass field and a retractable roof featuring the latest technology. The roof would allow Denver's games to be played in the elements while maximizing both the year-round flexibility of the stadium and its long-term value to the community.
"The stadium is going to have all the modern amenities and bells and whistles, and then around it, we have a real opportunity in that area to create an incredible mixed-use district," Penner said. "That'll be a real appeal, we think, for the community and our fans."
The Broncos remain in the preliminary stages of the stadium design process and plan to share initial renderings in the near future.
The mixed-use district, meanwhile, is slated to have millions of square feet available for development and will feature restaurants, retail outlets, hotel and housing options, office spaces, entertainment venues, dynamic public spaces and more. The stadium and mixed-use district will feature multi-modal transportation options, including RTD light rail.
"One of our goals is to make sure that we are engaging community members 365 days a year in the area around the stadium," Walton Penner said. "So, it's not something that will just have a large parking lot all around it, but really creating some place that's special that people leave and talk about and say, 'Oh my gosh, when you come to Denver, you've got to be here at Burnham Yard.'"
As the community-inspired vision at Burnham Yard takes shape, the Broncos will aim to highlight the area's rich history and connection to Denver. The organization plans to work with key community stakeholders to elevate the historic elements of the site.
"The first time we stepped on the site, there was a real appeal going back to the history of Burnham Yard and the rail, which is an important part of Colorado history," Penner said. "We think it's an opportunity for us to activate a number of those old historic buildings and features on the site as part of what we're building."
The Broncos, who also evaluated the long-term viability of Empower Field at Mile High and explored Lone Tree and Aurora as options, have worked with the city of Denver and state of Colorado to study the feasibility of the site. And while the team, city and state believe in the path forward for the transformational project, there is still much more work to be done.
The comprehensive process will now focus on deeper civic and community engagement, higher-level site design and planning and the necessary agreements and approvals.
"Plans for this unprecedented investment demonstrate the sincere commitment of our ownership — led by Greg and Carrie — not only to the future of the Broncos and our fans but especially toward the community," Broncos President Damani Leech said. "The city and state have been tremendous partners, and while we know there is much more work to be done, we look forward to engaging on a much deeper level to shape this vision with the community in mind."
If a new stadium is built and the current lease is closed, the land Empower Field at Mile High currently sits on will revert to city ownership. The city and Denver community will work to develop an area plan for the existing acreage.
Since shortly after purchasing the team in 2022, the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group has explored future stadium possibilities. The team surveyed thousands of season ticket members, conducted more than 100 focus groups, interviewed team partners and visited stadium and developments across professional sports.
The surveys revealed a majority of fans preferred a new stadium with a retractable roof in a near-downtown location. There was also an overwhelming support for a mixed-use development, as well as a focus on the importance of non-gameday amenities and site accessibility.
"This stadium is the next big investment for us," Penner said. "And it's going to be, we think, a central piece of our experience for the fans over the next 50, 60 years."
