Broncos announce preferred stadium site, share target date for new home

The Denver Broncos have announced their future home, selecting the historic Burnham Yard as the club’s preferred spot for a new stadium.

There has been talk about the Broncos building a new stadium since the Walton-Penner Family Ownership Group took over the franchise. Within the last few months, that talk has grown very loud. There have been signs that the team would settle on Burnham Yard, with tens of millions of dollars in real estate purchases in the area. But the team kept their options open for their current site, Aurora and Lone Tree made one last push to be the next home of the Broncos.

On Tuesday, fans got their answer on where the team hopes to play as early as 2031. Both the team and the city of Denver issued news releases announcing the plans.

“Today marks an important step forward in a shared vision for the Denver Broncos, the city of Denver and the state of Colorado,” team owners Greg and Carrie Penner wrote a joint letter to the fan base with Denver Mayor Mike Johnston and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis that outlined some of the plan. “Together, we are pleased to announce historic Burnham Yard in the heart of Denver as the preferred site for a world-class retractable roof stadium anchoring a dynamic mixed-use district. Once a vital railyard that played a key role in Denver’s past, Burnham Yard now represents a transformational opportunity to reimagine the future with deep respect for the rich history of the area.”

The stadium will be privately funded, according to the letter, with no new taxes. The hope is to invest in the city the Broncos call home brand reconnect historic neighborhoods. The stadium will sit on the western edge of La Alma-Lincoln Park, between Colfax and Sixth avenues and east of Interstate 25. In essence, the team is just moving a few blocks south of its current home in Sun Valley.

The Broncos’ current home, just north of Colfax Avenue and west of I-25, has primarily hosted the team since its founding in 1960. Empower Field at Mile High opened in 2001 and is owned by the taxpayer-funded Metropolitan Football Stadium District. The team’s lease expires in March 2031, setting up the team to make the move in the fall of that year.

“Today is not yet a celebration but rather a meaningful checkpoint reflecting years of research, collaboration and planning, as well as necessary land agreements and feasibility studies,” the group wrote. “Our goal for this ambitious project is to build a community that connects fans, neighbors and future generations across Colorado. In addition to creating a modern new home for the Broncos, this vibrant hub will attract premier events, driving impact for Denver and the entire Rocky Mountain Region.”

The Broncos said they are ready for a strong community benefits agreement process, and that this portion of the planning will now be more transparent. One of the big hurdles at this juncture has been Denver Water’s campus in the area, which the Broncos will help the utility relocate.

According to the city, the plan “opens new opportunities for Denver to host a Super Bowl, a Final Four, concerts and more that bring in hundreds of millions annually in economic activity.” However, the team plans to mostly play outdoors on natural grass, maintaining the Mile High City home-field advantage fans are accustomed to.

A new home for the Broncos is coming, along with a built-out version of one of Denver’s oldest neighborhoods.

“Burnham Yard today is 58 acres in La Alma/Lincoln Park and Baker neighborhoods of Denver,” said Denver Councilwoman Jamie Torres in a news release. “Today you may see abandoned land and abandoned buildings but history lies beneath the surface, and today a new future is possible with the announcement of the Denver Broncos. These neighborhoods are home to 13,000 residents, an incredible Art District, Business Improvement District, cultural and historic districts of homes and buildings that tell the story of Denver.”

“The news that the Broncos will name Burnham as their preferred site says they see the opportunity to contribute and integrate into already amazing communities in partnership with residents, community-based organizations, advocates in housing, mobility, culture, history, and more, and I look forward to this deep engagement.”

The Denver Mayor’s Office said the old Empower Field site will “revert to the ownership of the city after the lease ends in 2030. Together with the West Denver community, the city will be able to imagine and then develop a thriving neighborhood with new housing, parks, community spaces, and more – built by Denverites for Denverites. The city anticipates beginning this planning process in 2026.”

Burnham Yard itself is a 58-acre site that has been owned by the Colorado Department of Transportation. Union Pacific closed Burnham Yard in 2016, and in 2021, CDOT bought the land for major transportation projects. The agency eyed the planned Front Range Passenger Rail line, but a state study later concluded the area would not be useful — hence the sale.

According to Historic Denver, the site “operated as one of the city’s most significant railyards for more than 150 years — first as the primary facility for the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad (D&RG), and much later for Union Pacific, which acquired the D&RG. The use of the yards predates Colorado statehood.”

If all goes as planned, construction will start sooner rather than later, setting the stage for the Broncos to kick off the 2031 season in a new home just blocks from where Mile High traditions were born and importantly still in Denver.

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