The Broncos still believe they can open a new retractable-roof stadium at Burnham Yard in time for the 2031 NFL season, but team president Damani Leech made it clear Saturday that Denver’s NFL franchise needs acceleration in several community-related processes to avoid delaying the project.
Leech, speaking with reporters at the club’s sparkling new headquarters, said the Broncos are “eager” to speak directly with community groups involved in the Community Benefits Agreement process, the small-area plan and more.
“We can’t do this alone. There are certain things we don’t control,” Leech said. “I think, as a good example, the community benefits process is something that we can’t control. We’ve had a lot of great initial conversations with community representatives. More recently it’s been more on a staff level. We’re eager to engage with those community members directly to understand what they’re looking for, what needs and interests they have in the development.
“Things like that, we have to progress. We said many months ago this is an ambitious timeline. For that to happen, we need everybody to be involved. We can’t do it alone in order to get to 2031.”
The 16-organization CBA coalition, called Burnham Yard Community Action, officially formed in May. Among the group’s advisors is former Councilwoman Robin Kniech, who is serving as a consultant and spokesperson.
“There’s a neighborhood of people who have jobs every day — this is not what they do every day — and they’ve hired consultants to help guide them through that process,” Leech said. “Most of our interface has been with those consultants. We’d much rather just engage with the staff directly and on a much quicker pace, is what I would say, to better understand what are the things that are important to them in this development? What are the kinds of things they’d like to see come to fruition and move things along?”
In response to Leech’s remarks, the BYCA sent the following statement to The Post Saturday.
“Burnham Yard Community Action, the coalition of organizations working on the Community Benefits Agreement, has twice sent detailed questions to the ownership group and is still awaiting substantive answers. We proposed a meeting more than four weeks ago and only heard yesterday that ownership wants to move forward.
“BYCA is actively developing priorities for the CBA, work that depends on development information the ownership group has not yet provided. We continue to look forward to working with the Broncos ownership group to achieve our shared goals for this project.”
A punch list that’s long and complicated
The CBA is just one of several processes the Broncos are working to present to the City Council for approval.
A source with knowledge of the situation told The Post that the small area plan between the Broncos and the city is on track to potentially be in front of city council by January. That vote is critical for several reasons, including that Denver Urban Renewal Authority has said that work on an urban renewal plan for the site, which will determine whether tax-increment financing is approved for the project, will not take place until after a small-area plan has been approved.
Then there’s the matter of relocating about 20 acres of Denver Water’s operations to other parts of the city. That includes a plan to relocate about 5 acres of emergency response infrastructure to a hotly contested parking lot at the current Empower Stadium site.
“It’s a complicated process,” Leech said of relocating the utility. “I have a standing weekly meeting with (Denver Water CEO) Alan Salazar and his executive team. We have great conversations and meetings with them. It’s not easy, it’s pretty complicated.”
There are also smaller matters, like the still-to-be-finalized purchase of SRM Concrete, a multi-acre parcel in the northern part of the Broncos’ proposed stadium development. SRM CEO Jeff Hollingshead told The Post this spring, though, that the company wouldn’t be the reason a stadium project stalls and the sides are expected to get a deal done.
Kansas City-based architeture firm will design stadium
While all those myriad processes plow forward at varying speeds, the Broncos are headlong into several parts of the project that they do have control over. They made the public announcement Saturday that, earlier this year, team officials selected Kansas City-based Manica Architecture to design the stadium at Burnham Yard and Denver-based Tryba Architects to lead the master plan and design for the stadium-anchored entertainment district surrounding the stadium.
“Understanding what this team means to its great fans in Denver and across Broncos Country, MANICA is honored to be chosen as the lead design architect of the Broncos’ new retractable-roof stadium,” Manica owner and president David Manica said in a statement provided to The Post. “We are committed to delivering a world-class fan experience at the center of the enhancements the Broncos will be adding to the local neighborhoods.”
Manica designed Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the new Nissan Stadium in Nashville, the Golden State Warriors’ Chase Center in San Francisco and is working with the Kansas City Chiefs on their new stadium design, among others.
Tryba lead design principal David Tryba said in a statement that his firm is, “thrilled” to be working with the Broncos, has a “deep appreciation” for the Santa Fe, La Alma and Lincoln Park neighborhoods and, “look forward to helping the Broncos transform this industrial rail yard into a vibrant, year-round destination where neighbors and fans feel at home for generations to come.”
Tryba has been involved in several major urban development projects on the Front Range, including Boulder’s Google offices, the new Western Stock Show headquarters and more.
Leech said the team is close to releasing renderings of the entertainment district but much further away from releasing stadium renderings.
The Broncos, Leech said, have subcommittees working on all manner of planning on the stadium front.
“I find myself often at the center of that, trying to make sure and traffic cop communication across those different groups,” he said. “I think it’s going well. The challenge always is having enough information at a certain time to answer people’s questions and being ready to make decisions. That’s one thing Greg and Carrie (Penner) are really deliberate about: What decisions have to be made right now vs. decisions we would just like to make?”
There are a lot of decisions, processes and approvals between now and when the Broncos are hoping to begin construction in spring or summer next year.
Leech said the team won’t need much time between a final green light from the City Council and putting shovels in the ground, but the path from here to there is still a long one.
“This is a pretty large and complex process and there’s days when I’m driving home and I’m really excited about the progress that we’re making,” Leech said. “And, I’ll be honest, there’s days when I have concern and frustration because you can’t control it all.”
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