Denver Broncos New Stadium Plan Features Retractable Roof

If Denver Broncos owner Greg Penner’s plans work out the way he wants, expect his NFL team to have a new stadium surrounded by a fresh mixed-use district in Burnham Yard, all ready to go in time for the 2031 season.

This fall, Penner announced plans for a privately funded retractable roof stadium at the 100-acre site, much of it at the Burnham Yard downtown railyard—it stopped operating in 2016 and was sold to the state in 2021—that predates even Colorado statehood.

Selection of the site has put the Broncos in partnership with the city and the state, aiming to have the project privately funded, even as the city would need to make improvements in and around the area.

Located less than a mile southeast of the current empower Field at Mile High, which opened in 2001, any potential move to a new venue would come as the 30-year lease the Broncos have on the venue runs out. “We couldn’t be more excited about Burnham Yard as the preferred site to build a new stadium,” Penner says, “and an incredible year-round destination.”

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While design decisions on the planned new stadium may still be in the future, the team has already said it expects to have a retractable roof and a natural grass field. The retractable roof allows Denver’s football games to be played outdoors while creating a more inviting year-round use of the venue for a variety of events.

“The stadium is going to have all the modern amenities and bells and whistles, and then around it, we have a real opportunity in that area to create an incredible mixed-use district,” Penner said. “That’ll be a real appeal, we think for the community and our fans.”

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston calls the plan an “amazing gift for the city and generations to come.”

As has become the trend in new stadium development, owners looking to maximize profits on real estate developments create a mixed-use district surrounding the site. The Denver plan includes millions of square feet of housing, office space, restaurants, retail, hotels, entertainment venues and more. The site will include TRD light rail. “One of our goals is to make sure that we are engaging community members 365 days a year in the area around the stadium,” says Carrie Walton Penner, Broncos co-owner. “So, it’s not something that will just have a large parking lot all around it, but really creating some place that’s special that people leave and talk about and say, ‘Oh my gosh, when you come to Denver, you’ve got to be here at Burnham Yard.’”

During the planning, the team expects to highlight the 150-year history of the site, including the large locomotive building still there. “The first time we stepped on the site, there was a real appeal going back to the history of Burnham Yard and the rail, which is an important part of Colorado history,” Greg Penner says. “We think it’s an opportunity for us to activate a number of those old historic buildings and features on the site as part of what we’re building.”

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During the stadium planning process, the team evaluated using Empower Field at Mile High, Lone Tree and Aurora, but settled on Burnham Yard. The team will now continue to work with the city and state to create concrete plans that push a stadium forward on the site. Burnham Yard makes up 58 acres, while the team plans a 25-acre purchase from Denver Water and then additional private real estate buys. The stadium and mixed-use district funding comes from private investments, while the city and state would provide improvements to the area and have pledged no new taxes to do so.

The Broncos have a lease to play at Empower Field at Mile High through 2030 but have options to extend the lease.

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