After Denver’s mayor announced this week that he wants to help bring a new women’s soccer stadium to Santa Fe Yards, several members of the City Council — which must approve the deal — still have questions.
How much will it cost Denver? And how will the city pay for it?
“I’m really excited about this opportunity,” Councilwoman Amanda Sawyer said. “But I need to know that it is a good deal for the taxpayers before I commit to anything.”
Mayor Mike Johnston’s office is partnering with the yet-unnamed National Women’s Soccer League team to build the planned 14,500-seat stadium in the Baker neighborhood. The mayor needs the council’s approval for both the purchase and rezoning of the land where the stadium will be built.
While Johnston told The Denver Post that “for all intents and purposes, the agreement is in place,” several members of the 13-person City Council said there’s still a way to go.
“There’s been an underestimated amount of attention on what still has to happen,” Councilwoman Jamie Torres said.
Under the proposed deal, Denver would purchase the 14 acres of land at Broadway and Interstate 25 for the stadium and build the necessary infrastructure. The soccer team would then build the facility. Denver already owns an undeveloped park on the land called Vanderbilt Park East.
So far, city officials have said they don’t know how much that will cost or where the money will come from. But Johnston’s office has held one-hour briefings with each member of the City Council on the plan, said Jon Ewing, a spokesperson for the mayor, in an email.
“We feel very good about where we are in the process,” he said. “And we look forward to working with council members to address any questions or concerns they might have.”
Property records indicate the total value of the land, where the former Gates Rubber Company once sat, is about $24 million, but a sale price could fluctuate beyond that.
The cost of the land will be presented to the City Council for approval of the sale on April 9, Ewing said. The council will later need to rezone the land, which was previously approved for office space.
Councilman Kevin Flynn said he was “anxiously awaiting details on how this will be financed,” but also isn’t surprised that the money hasn’t been worked out yet.
“I can’t think of a major project that’s ever been announced… that had details nailed down at the announcement,” he said.
Councilwoman Sarah Parady said she also wants to see more details about the plan.
“We need to be transparent with the public about what the public investment will be in this project and make sure people are given enough context,” she said.
The stadium, which will be designed by Populous, will also serve as an entertainment complex with restaurants, bars, shops and possibly housing. The city’s vision also includes plans to host events like graduations, high school sports and concerts at the stadium.
It would be the state’s first stadium specifically built for women’s professional sports.
The National Women’s Soccer Club team is set to begin playing at a temporary site, which hasn’t been publicly identified yet, in 2026. The stadium would open in 2028.
Denver Post staff writer Kyle Newman contributed to this report
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