new affordable housing is part of denver stadium site redevelopment plan

Just under 130 homes, half of which will be priced for lower-income residents, may soon be built on a portion of the massive parking lot surrounding the Empower Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver.

The stadium was formerly known as the Broncos Stadium.

Members of the Denver City Council have given their approval to a land swap between the city and the Metropolitan Football Stadium District that will give two smaller parking lots to the Denver Housing Authority.

Those lots are located near the intersection of 13th Avenue and Decatur Street. In return, the city is giving an empty lot at 2534 W. Colfax Avenue to the stadium district for its future development purposes.

According to the land swap agreement, besides the emphasis on new affordable housing construction, a portion of the parking lots will also be developed for retail space.

The much larger 55-acre stadium parking lot is currently in the planning process, and is expected to eventually include more than 3.6 million square feet of combined housing, office, and retail space.

Also included in the plan is parks, public spaces, and bike trails.

Last summer the city council also approved what is called the Stadium District Master Plan, a roadmap that was developed with input from area residents, businesses, and property owners.
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One of the main points of that plan called for the creation of a regional destination location with a neighborhood of streets and what is called “human-scale, pedestrian-oriented development and amenities.”

​By Garry Boulard

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