How current Mile High neighbors are reacting to the possible Denver Broncos move to a new stadium

With all of the excitement around a new stadium for the Broncos, a burning question in Denver’s Jefferson Park neighborhood is, what happens to the 80 acres Mile High sits on right now? That’s what Denver Mayor Mike Johnston says he wants to spend the next 5 years working on, and hopes to listen to what the community wants to see.

But those who have neighbored the Broncos for decades have mixed opinions on the potential move, including Paul Young, who lives just “two and a half blocks” from the stadium.

Young has been the Broncos’ neighbor for the last 4 and a half years, but the Broncos have been in Jefferson Park since the 1950s. So when the team wanted a stadium upgrade, Young said, “We were hoping they’d redevelop in this neighborhood and make the neighborhood even better.”

Instead, the team and the city said Tuesday they’re looking at moving across town and leaving Young’s favorite pre-game bar behind.

“I hope that whatever plans they have, they do quickly so the local businesses would not be impacted,” Young said.

Down the street, those at Riverside Church also worry about Broncos fans leaving the area. Not necessarily for Sunday service, but serving fans who need a place to park. 

Faith Tyler, the Kids Director at Riverside Church in Jefferson Park, is disappointed they may have to change plans in a few years. “Each Broncos home game, we get to park about 1000 cars. While we’re doing parking during halftime, we’ll have first responders and our police officers come and we will serve them food. So we not only get to park 1000 cars [and] interact with fans, but we also get to serve our first responders in a way that is super fun,” Tyler said.

At $25 a spot, the church is already brainstorming ways to make up for a more than $200,000 change in fundraising due to a stadium move, which could possibly impact their programming and community service capabilities.

“It’s a bummer, but it’s still exciting. The stadium will still be in the city, and so we love that for our city,” Tyler said, “Obviously, it impacts us, but it’ll also impact places where the stadium is moving.”

Meanwhile, some Bronco fueled businesses in the neighborhood, like Sportsfan’s owner Derek Friedman, say it could all be worth the risk.

“When we think about what’s to come, and the fact that there could be Super Bowls and final fours and concerts all year round, I think it really brings a lot more to the city than it might subtract from losing a stadium,” Friedman said. ” I think it really brings a vibrancy to the entirety of downtown Denver, something I’m really excited about.”

Friedman also says he’s already in talks to follow the team if they make the punt to Burnham Yards.

While there are still a lot of questions about what could or would replace the current stadium, and even questions of whether the new stadium really would be a mile high, many in the Jefferson Park neighborhood are still breathing a sigh of relief that the Broncos will still be staying in Denver.