South Broadway has soccer fever, and for good reason. After years of crawling back from the pandemic — an unusual opportunity has arrived in the form of the Denver Summit stadium project.  We have waited for more than three decades to see the old Gates Rubber factory site utilized for something t hat benefits the neighborhood. As someone who was born and raised in Denver and is a local business owner and the president of the Broadway Merchants Association, I am actively engaging with the Summit’s ownership on a Community Benefits Agreement that will ensure South Broadway and the surrounding neighborhoods receive positive impacts from the stadium for years to come. The team’s ownership has worked with all surrounding Registered Neighborhood Organizations (RNOs) over the past four months to forge a deal that offers millions of dollars in community support, beautification and improvements. Among the Broadway Merchants, there is palpable excitement that the Summit stadium project could bring increased foot traffic and sales to our storefronts. The Broadway Halloween Parade takes more than five months of planning and more than $100,000 in sponsorships to bring 45,000 people to our street. The stadium will bring a lesser amount, roughly 14,000 people to each event, but won’t cost our small businesses any dollars or time. Not to mention that the stadium will hold sold-out events more than 20 times per year, bringing potentially 280,000+ people to our business district. Small businesses on Broadway need the boost in foot traffic from this stadium. The value of building a stadium like this in Denver is that the Summit won’t be building a culture on South Broadway so much as becoming a key part of one that already exists. Iconic bars like The Skylark Lounge (owned by Nathaniel Rateliff), Irish Rover, Adrift and Punch Bowl Social are a stone’s throw from the proposed stadium site. Restaurants like the Michelin-mentioned Mak Fam, Moxie and Maria Empanada already serve as the kind of attraction you won’t find anywhere else in our Mile High City. It would be hard to duplicate the culture density and these magnetic, diverse small businesses in a place like Lone Tree or Commerce City. The team knows that. I understand the need for due diligence and applaud the City Council for its analysis of the deal. As a fiscal conservative, I appreciate the magnifying glass on how taxpayer dollars are spent. That being said, this dirt lot has been a blight on the community since the Gates Factory closed in 1991. Given the stigma of past contamination at the site and massive public infrastructure investments needed, I don’t think we will see these parcels reimagined into anything without some taxpayer dollars. If we do not take advantage of the stadium proposal in front of us, we risk going through the same exercise in 10 to 20 years where the taxpayer cost will be exponentially higher. Related Articles Denver Summit FC signs defender Camryn Biegalski as club continues to add to back line Denver Summit women’s soccer stadium plan advances after delays Denver Summit FC signs veteran goalkeeper Abby Smith Denver Summit FC on pace to break attendance record for women’s professional sports Denver Summit FC bolsters defense with signing of Megan Reid Having met with the Summit team, I believe they truly want to be in Denver. We as a city also have to get out of our own way sometimes. I hope that the City Council realizes that their approval means the team elects to carry hundreds of millions of dollars in debt to fund the project; without their decision to carry debt, this land will continue to be a place that does not generate taxpayer dollars for our communities or consumer dollars for the small businesses surrounding it. Tell me again why we are contemplating not letting someone else carry debt to give us (the taxpayers) millions of tax dollars in perpetuity? All of this, and the city still gets to keep the land and the stadium when the team is done using it decades from now. City leaders, residents, sports enthusiasts, and small businesses have pushed for this project for nearly 24 months, and I ask that City Council vote yes to finalize a brighter future for our little slice of Denver. Luke Johnson is the founder and CEO of Luke Company, a fine pet supply and outfitter on Broadway. He is also the president of the Broadway Merchants Association. Sign up for Sound Off to get a weekly roundup of our columns, editorials and more. To send a letter to the editor about this article, submit online or check out our guidelines for how to submit by email or mail. ...read more read less