Discussions begin in La Alma Lincoln Park on Broncos’ proposed Burnham Yard stadium

Residents, neighbors and community leaders of Denver’s La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood packed Su Teatro Cultural and Performing Arts Center this week to discuss creating a Community Benefits Agreement tied to the Broncos’ potential redevelopment of Burnham Yard.

The team announced in September that Burnham Yard is its preferred site for a new privately funded retractable-roof stadium and mixed-use district.

The Wednesday meeting was hosted by the La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood Association, former at-large City Council member Robin Kniech and District 3 Councilwoman Jamie Torres to inform the community about what the project development process could entail and how to get involved.

“What we know is pretty limited,” said Torres in terms of what the exact footprint of the new stadium will be.

“I will say nothing’s been submitted in terms of a large development review, yet. Nothing’s been submitted in terms of rezoning. So, it’s very much the beginning of this process of understanding what’s going to be happening.”

The area will consist of “millions of square feet” of development, including restaurants, retail outlets, hotel and housing options, office spaces, entertainment venues and public spaces.

Torres said development will likely extend closer to the yard’s freight railroad consolidated main line, which is “not moving,” and that likely everything north of 6th Avenue will be at play.

The Broncos’ lease at Empower Field runs through the 2030 season, however, it would be ideal for a new stadium to be ready for move-in by the summer of 2031 at the latest.

“They have three, five-year extensions they can exercise on the current stadium if they’re not ready to move yet,” Torres said.

“If they’re trying to be out in order to be in a new stadium for the 2031 season that means they’re likely breaking ground in 2027.”

Torres, along with LALPNA representatives, said that they are still in the early stages of the process, currently focused on informing the public and building a coalition of representatives from community-based organizations to create a CBA.

A CBA is a legally binding contract primarily negotiated and signed by a coalition of community organizations/community representatives and the developer building the project.

These agreements are created with the community and typically include socio-economic benefits like affordable housing, local hiring, environmental protections, small business support and public space improvements.

All CBAs are different, but they are not new. For example, Torres said it took 18 months to complete the Ball Arena agreement.

In 2024, Kroenke Sports and Entertainment signed an extensive CBA with a committee of local leaders that provided the community with a variety of benefits such as an early learning center, funding for youth programming, enhanced pedestrian and bike connections nearby and a $16 million community investment fund.

The committee also negotiated for 18% of all connected housing units to be affordable.

CBAs give community members a voice in shaping how large projects impact their neighborhoods in exchange for the community’s support for the project.

Because CBAs are written contracts, they can be enforced to ensure promises are kept. However, CBAs also hold several community commitments, like providing letters of support and agreeing not to sue to stop the project.

The scope and quantity of benefits secured are primarily determined by community support the coalition can build, as well as what the developer is willing to commit to.

Several attendees at the meeting voiced concerns about the project, including environmental impacts, what support small businesses can get, preservation efforts and even the composition of the coalition itself.

“There’s a lot of power to sit at the table and speak for the community. So it has to be authentic. It has to be groups that have some contact with the community, and they have to be able to sign a contract,” said former at-large City Council member Robin Kniech, who is now at the University of Colorado Denver.

However, Kniech said a CBA does not replace community input to a council member, the mayor’s office, or the planning board.

As part of this process, the City and County of Denver has started a Small Area Plan for the Burnham Yard site to review land use, including zoning, potential residential development, building heights, street grid changes and what land use will look like over the next 20 years.

The plan is estimated to be completed by the end of 2026.

In addition to the Small Area Plan, to build a new stadium and mixed-use district, the Broncos must go through a large development review process, a rezoning application and a development agreement, which has to be approved by the Denver City Council.