Previously postponed measures regarding Denver Summit FC stadium head to city council

**Denver NWSL Stadium Plans Advance as City Council Moves Key Measures Forward**

Four key measures regarding the proposed National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) stadium in Denver have advanced out of committee and are headed to the full city council. This comes after a previous postponement due to unanswered questions about the stadium’s site and finances.

The action items addressed Wednesday include:
– A property agreement
– An intergovernmental agreement with the Broadway Station Metropolitan District
– Approval to reallocate $50 million from Capital Improvement Projects
– A Department of Finance amendment to the 2025 intergovernmental agreement

These measures were held back during November’s South Platte River Committee meeting, after some documents were incomplete and committee members sought additional details.

**Push for Transparency and Answers**

District 7 Councilmember Flor Alvidrez explained the reason for the delays:
“One of the biggest reasons that these were postponed is we didn’t have all the details, and we were provided some blank pages at committee… now we have the details for those.”

She told Denver7 prior to Wednesday’s meeting that recent work by the council has provided much-needed clarity:
“I feel like we have gotten a lot of answers,” Alvidrez noted. “All of these things seem like positive momentum that will get us before council.”

**Stadium Location Uncertainty and Parallel Negotiations**

During the meeting, city council as well as team leadership addressed concerns about comments made in November by Denver Summit FC. The club had previously stated it was “pursuing a parallel path regarding the stadium site and engaging with other jurisdictions outside of Denver,” raising questions about the project’s future in the city.

Denver Summit FC’s ownership reiterated their commitment to fulfilling obligations to the league and the community, emphasizing a goal to open the stadium by March 2028. However, due to concerns with the current council process, ownership confirmed ongoing conversations about possible stadium sites outside Denver city limits.

Despite these contingencies, ownership remains open to collaboration:
“We will continue to engage in an open and honest dialogue with the Mayor, City Council and Community in Denver. We are grateful for the steadfast support we have received from fans, the community, the Mayor, the business community and small businesses throughout Denver,” a team statement shared.

**Council and Ownership Exchange**

Council President Amanda Sandoval clarified her intentions regarding prior committee actions:
“I did not come in last time thinking I was going to stop this from moving forward,” Sandoval stated. “I was asking questions from the documents that I received, and that’s all I was doing, and that’s what I was elected to do.”

Team president Jen Millet addressed council directly:
“I would like, if I might, to apologize for not doing outreach,” Millet said to Sandoval. “Our effort was to make sure that we lived up to that responsibility and not to push back on this process.”

Team owner Rob Cohen added:
“None of us are happy about how the process evolved. I just wanted it to be on public record that we did not go to the media. We did not make threats. Somebody else went to the media and said we were talking to other jurisdictions … we merely responded to that, and then we were just transparent in the fact that if city council was going to do their homework … we needed to do ours, to make sure we were protecting the club, the fans, the players, etc. in case … the city didn’t approve this.”

He emphasized, “I think that was our fiduciary responsibility … it’s not meant to be personal in any way. I appreciate that everybody is trying to do what’s right … I’m going to assume positive intent from each and every person that we interact with.”

**Next Steps**

At the meeting’s end, committee members entered executive session to discuss “threatened litigation” related to the stadium plans. Afterward, the committee voted to move all four action items to full city council review.

A Denver Summit FC spokesperson provided a statement to Denver7:
“Denver Summit FC is excited to continue to take the next steps towards our goal of a purpose-built, soccer-specific stadium in Denver’s urban core. We appreciate the continued support and collaboration from the Denver Community, Denver City Council, WENU, the Mayor’s Office, local businesses and our fans and supporters. We look forward to next week’s meeting and remain committed to creating something impactful for the Denver community.”

**Looking Ahead**

Denver City Council is expected to have a first reading on the stadium action items on Monday, Dec. 15. A second reading and vote is anticipated for Dec. 22.

Stay tuned for further updates as the project moves forward.
https://www.denver7.com/news/front-range/denver/previously-postponed-measures-regarding-denver-summit-fc-stadium-head-to-city-council