Denver's mayor says Nuggets, Avalanche will stay at Ball Arena through 2050

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston said that the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche will stay at Ball Arena for the next 26 years, until 2050. That announcement was part of the Tuesday morning update after the approval of the development surrounding the events center. 

"In addition to what you will see as the vision for this neighborhood for the next 25 years, today we will also finalize the commitment that the Nuggets and the Avs will be calling Denver home until the year 2050," said Johnston.

The news coincided with Ball Arena's 25th anniversary celebration of when it opened in 1999. Johnston said the arena is one of the most important economic drivers in the city and moving forward, the area will transform from a sports district to include a neighborhood and business district. 

"This will now be a fully activated neighborhood where folks can live. They can come and play in the park. They can come to see concerts, and yes, you can walk into and out of three of the best sports franchises in the country all in the same location," said Johnston.

On Monday night, Denver's city council voted to approve a plan to rezone the area around Ball Arena for a development proposal

The proposed project will help redevelop 70 acres of property around the arena where the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth play. It would create a residential neighborhood with parks, paths, retail space and roughly 6,000 units of housing. Some of that -- approximately 1,000 units -- would be affordable housing units along Auraria Parkway and Speer Boulevard.

"This amazing venue that brings our community together to create memories that last a lifetime is going to remain here for a long time to come as the heart of an entirely new neighborhood built on top of what is now acres and acres of parking lots," said Vice Chair of Kroenke Sports Josh Kroenke. 

During the public comment section of Monday's city council meeting, there were comments supporting the proposal and against the proposal. Some thought it would be nice to get rid of all the asphalt parking lots while others were concerned about the walkability of the area so close to major thoroughfares with six lanes of traffic. 

"This development is going to create thousands of new jobs and opportunities for many Coloradans as well as be a vibrant part of a transformation that we see all across downtown Denver today," said Kroenke. 

It could be before 2026 before any of the projects around Ball Arena begin breaking ground.