Denver council, despite hesitations, approves $70 million women’s soccer stadium deal

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 company s ownership group and Mayor Mike Johnston s administration the city would spend up to million to acquire and prepare the site for construction Then the National Women s Soccer League association would spend about million to build the stadium That deal is far from set in stone however Several council members announced they would give initial approval but yearned to see the detailed plans along with assessing the economic system before agreeing to shell out the money Twelve of council members ultimately gave their stamp of approval It s a dicey time disclosed 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 several very dire decisions The stadium which would seat people and open in will face more council votes in the fall after the constituents has a chance to weigh in and planners decide on the final design No money will change hands until after those votes stated Laura Swartz a spokesperson for the city s Department of Finance The council also gave final approval to the city s acquisition of the former Park Hill Golf Curriculum through a land swap with the developer that owns the site Following a due diligence period the city will 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 The council will consider rezoning the land so it can be used as a population park in June 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 announced If these pass tonight we will be on a path to fundamentally transform the city for generations to come While the bulk economists say stadium projects rarely if ever achieve their promised economic benefits the mayor s office has cast it as a possible boon for the city s businesses and tax revenue In a city-produced economic examination the staff analysts projected a 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 mentioned 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 growth with housing restaurants and a hotel Related Articles Aurora again tightens society comment rules at City Council meetings as protests of police conduct continue Local governments in Colorado demanding more accountability from oil and gas Tesla owners are not your enemies don t punish them for Elon Musk s actions Letters Total garbage Developer landowners sue Denver over rezoning denial Denver Wellbeing unveils plan for million coming from new sales tax this year The project comes as a key part of a deal with the NWSL to bring the league s next group which its owners haven t named yet to Denver City representatives expect to spend up to million for the land and another million for improvements to the surrounding area including for access improvements The money will come indirectly from interest accrued from the Elevate Denver bond plan 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 company likely wouldn t have stayed in Denver the ownership group s leader Rob Cohen notified the council last month Stay up-to-date with Colorado Politics by signing up for our weekly newsletter The Spot