Denver is on track to build one of the first-ever stadiums dedicated to women’s sports after the deal’s framework won approval Monday from a skeptical City Council.
Under the plan — developed by the team’s ownership group and Mayor Mike Johnston’s administration — the city would spend up to $70 million to acquire and prepare the site for construction. Then the National Women’s Soccer League team would spend about $200 million to build the stadium.
That deal is far from set in stone, however.
Several council members said they would give initial approval but wanted to see the detailed plans, along with assessing the economy, before agreeing to shell out the money. Twelve of 13 council members ultimately gave their stamp of approval.
“It’s a dicey time,” said Councilman Paul Kashmann, who voted yes. “We may find things ease up over the next six months, or it may be doom and gloom — and we will have to make some very dire decisions.”
The stadium, which would seat 14,500 people and open in 2028, will face more council votes in the fall after the public has a chance to weigh in and planners decide on the final design. No money will change hands until after those votes, said Laura Swartz, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Finance.
The council’s agenda Monday evening also includes a planned final vote on the city’s acquisition of the former Park Hill Golf Course through a land swap with the developer that owns the site. The city would transfer a property near Denver International Airport to the developer in exchange for the Park Hill land, which it plans to make into a large new city park.
In an interview before the final votes, Johnston celebrated the approval of the stadium and the park, saying his administration counted them as wins.
“We understand that people have questions. That’s their job,” he said. “If these pass tonight, we will be on a path to fundamentally transform the city for generations to come.”
While most economists say stadium projects rarely, if ever, achieve their promised economic benefits, the mayor’s office has cast it as a potential boon for the city’s businesses and tax revenue. In a city-produced economic study, the staff analysts projected a $2.2 billion impact over three decades.
But not all on the council bought that pitch.
“We’d be investing in a large parcel that we wouldn’t otherwise be buying just to assist a private ownership group to have a place to build a private stadium,” said Councilwoman Sarah Parady, who voted no.
The NWSL stadium, set to be built on the Santa Fe Yards redevelopment site in the Baker neighborhood, would also host events like graduations, high school sports and concerts in addition to games. The long-term plan for the site includes a neighboring mixed-use development with housing, restaurants and a hotel.
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City officials expect to spend up to $50 million for the land and another $20 million for improvements to the surrounding area, including for access improvements. The money will come indirectly from interest accrued from the 2017 Elevate Denver bond program. The city will put that interest toward other city projects that are being paid for through its capital projects fund, using the fund’s resulting savings for the stadium.
Without the stadium, the team likely wouldn’t have stayed in Denver, the ownership group’s leader, Rob Cohen, told the council last month.
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