DENVER — The Denver City Council on Monday approved a project that will redevelop dozens of acres surrounding Ball Arena.
Fifty-five of those acres will transform the immediate parking lots near the venue, according to Kroenke Sports & Entertainment officials, who spoke about the project Tuesday.
"I am very proud of what we've accomplished here," said Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman for KSE.
The project's goal is to connect Ball Arena — home of the Colorado Avalanche, Denver Nuggets, and Colorado Mammoth — to surrounding neighborhoods while creating a new neighborhood, as well.
"We're going to have neighborhood here instead of parking lots," said Jerry Orten, the president of the Lower Downtown Neighborhood Association.
Denver
Denver City Council approves plan to transform area around Ball Arena
Orten is one of the volunteers with the Ball Arena Community Benefits Agreement Committee, which created a community benefits agreement with KSE.
KSE has agreed to incorporate the following aspects in its redevelopment project:
- At least 18% of the new housing units will be affordable housing. A significant portion must have two or more bedrooms for families.
- At least 20% of the businesses leasing on the property must be women or minority-owned.
- At least 20% of permanent jobs on-site, as well as construction jobs, will be for residents of low-income Denver neighborhoods.
- Bike and pedestrian paths and bridges will connect the redevelopment to other neighborhoods in the city.
Denver Mayor Mike Johnston spoke with Denver7 on Tuesday about the importance of the community benefits agreement, what it accomplishes and the affordable housing aspect.
"The city requires about 12% of affordable housing on a project of this scale. This project will be 18%, which is almost 150% of what the city requires," Johnston said. "Here we'll make sure we have a lot more affordability and have an incredible economic development for our downtown."
Bike and pedestrian paths and bridges are also a big part of the project. KSE officials told Denver7 that one of the first phases of the project will be creating a bridge over Speer Boulevard to connect Ball Arena with the Lower Downtown neighborhood.
"It really is a big barrier to coming to the arena for an event and going back into downtown," said Matt Mahoney, the senior vice president of development for KSE. "We're looking at that really hard right now."
"The connectivity is critical," Orten said. "What we're really looking forward to is a neighborhood here with residents, with restaurants, with bars, with office workers, with a big park, with all the things that are going to happen here."
Officials told Denver7 the project could take anywhere between 20 to 30 years to complete.
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