If you’ve spent any time sitting in the South Stands at Empower Field lately, you’ve probably heard the whispers. It’s the kind of talk that starts with "I heard from a guy who knows a guy" and ends with the Denver Broncos moving to a distant suburb like Aurora or Lone Tree. Honestly, for a while, that felt like a real possibility. When the Walton-Penner group dropped billions to buy the team, everyone assumed they’d want a sparkling new Taj Mahal surrounded by acres of parking in the middle of nowhere.
But things changed fast.
In late 2025, the team finally went public with their "preferred site." It’s not in the suburbs. It’s not even that far from the current Mile High. We are talking about Burnham Yard. If you aren't a rail history buff or a local urban planning nerd, that name might mean absolutely nothing to you. Basically, it’s a massive, 100-plus-acre ghost town of a railyard sitting just south of downtown Denver.
The Reality of the Broncos New Stadium Location
The Broncos new stadium location at Burnham Yard is tucked between 6th and 13th Avenues. It’s about a mile southeast of where the team plays right now. For decades, this spot was just a tangle of rusting tracks and old industrial buildings. It predates Colorado’s statehood, which is wild when you think about it. The state bought the land from Union Pacific a few years back, and now the Broncos have a conceptual agreement to take over 58 acres of that railyard, plus another 25 acres from Denver Water.
It’s a massive play.
Why here? Well, Greg Penner and the ownership group actually surveyed thousands of fans. Turns out, people didn't want to drive 45 minutes out of the city to watch football. They wanted to stay near the urban core. But they also wanted a roof. Not a permanent dome—nobody wants to lose that Colorado sun—but a retractable roof that allows for natural grass while keeping the snow off the luxury suites during a late-December night game.
Why Burnham Yard and Not Sun Valley?
For a long time, the plan seemed to be "Stadium District" redevelopment in Sun Valley—basically just building on the current parking lots. That’s still happening, sort of. But that project is more about mixed-use housing and commercial space to fund the maintenance of the current stadium.
Burnham Yard is a different beast.
It allows the team to build from scratch without having to play in a construction zone for five years. The vision is to move the actual stadium to the western edge of the yard, as far away from the residential parts of the La Alma-Lincoln Park neighborhood as possible. They want to turn the old locomotive halls and historic rail buildings into part of the "vibe." Think restaurants, breweries, and maybe even some housing integrated into the actual history of the site.
What This Means for the Gameday Experience
Let’s talk about the actual "loudness." Greg Penner has been pretty vocal about the fact that he wants this place to be intimidating. He specifically mentioned looking at stadiums like the one the Tottenham Hotspur use in London. The goal is to get the fans closer to the sidelines.
- Retractable Roof: Natural grass is the priority, but the roof allows for a Super Bowl or a Taylor Swift-sized concert in February.
- Transit Access: The 10th & Osage light rail station is right there. The city is already looking at $140 million in infrastructure like fixing the 6th and 8th Avenue viaducts to make sure people can actually get in and out.
- No New Taxes: This is the big one. The Penners are paying for the stadium and the land. The city is only covering the roads and "public improvements" that were going to need fixing anyway.
It’s a "private-public partnership" that actually sounds like it might not bankrupt the taxpayers, which is a rare thing in the NFL these days.
The Timeline: When Do We Actually Move?
Don't go selling your Empower Field tailgating gear just yet. The Broncos' lease doesn't run out until the end of the 2030 season. The target for opening the Broncos new stadium location is 2031.
Right now, we are in the "boring but important" phase. The team submitted a 38-page "Large Development Review" (LDR) to the city in November 2025. They are doing Community Benefits Agreements. They are talking to neighbors who are worried about their property taxes or the sudden influx of 70,000 people eight times a year.
It’s a long road. But for the first time in years, the "where" is finally settled. The Broncos are staying in Denver, just moving a mile down the road to a railyard that’s been waiting for a second life for over a century.
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Actionable Next Steps for Fans:
- Monitor the LDR Process: Keep an eye on the Denver Community Planning and Development website for public hearing dates regarding the Burnham Yard site throughout 2026.
- Check the Official Portal: The team launched a dedicated site (newstadium.denverbroncos.com) where they’ll post the actual architectural renderings once Sasaki finishes the master plan.
- Transit Planning: If you're a season ticket holder, start looking at the RTD E, H, and W lines that serve the 10th & Osage station, as this will likely be the primary "non-car" artery for the new site.