A large crowd works its way into the stadium to watch a Denver Broncos game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Nov. 17, 2024. (Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
It’s been a year.
Around the country, there was economic uncertainty. The stock market was jolted by tariffs, only to climb back steadily. Inflation concerns remain. Much of the real estate sector remained stagnant at best, with data centers a key exception. Groundbreakings continued to be a rarity.
But amid the uncertainty, business didn’t stop. And BusinessDen was there to cover it.
Here are some of the biggest stories our newsroom covered this year:
The Burnham Yard Broncos
In mid-June, our newsroom pressed “Publish” on a story we knew would get the state talking.
Everyone knew the Denver Broncos were considering building a new stadium. But the team wasn’t saying much on the search.
We had determined, by making calls and scouring property records, that the Broncos — using a network of generic LLCs — had quietly purchased $150 million in private property around Burnham Yard, a former railyard in central Denver that is owned by the state.
The implication was clear: This was where the team wanted to build a new stadium.
The Broncos didn’t confirm or deny our reporting at the time.
But three months later, in early September, the team announced plans to build a stadium at Burnham Yard.
The southern end of Denver Water’s site in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on June 14, 2025. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
Denver Water takes one for the team
Burnham Yard is a crescent-shaped stretch of land.
And it’s adjacent to Denver Water’s main operations complex, which spans 35 acres.
When our newsroom learned of the property acquisitions by the Broncos, it was immediately clear to us that the team might be talking to Denver Water, hoping to acquire at least some of the municipal utility’s land.
We filed a public records request with Denver Water, seeking emails between the organization and the team.
What we received confirmed that the Broncos and Denver Water were talking regularly.
Denver Water also sent notices to some nearby property owners, saying it might seek to take their land through eminent domain, apparently to replace the land it would give to the Broncos.
But the utility opted against following through with that.
Instead, in early September, Denver Water announced that it would cede 25 acres to the Broncos and instead relocate operations to several sites, the largest of which will be a former AT&T call center in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood.
The 700 17th St. tower filed for bankruptcy this year. (BusinessDen file)
Office distress continues
It was another bleak year for the office sector.
Want some examples?
The 28-story office tower at 621 17th St. in Denver and the adjacent 32-story 633 17th St. tower sold for a combined $3 million in April, although the deal didn’t include the land underneath them.
The 463,000-square-foot Lincoln Crossing office complex at 1775 Sherman St. and 1776 Lincoln St. in Denver sold for $10 million in April, down from $95 million in 2018.
A lender declined to take back the Columbine Place tower at 210 16th St. in Denver after the owner defaulted.
Two local office buildings filed for bankruptcy.
A lender foreclosed on downtown’s Market Center.
Denver pumps the brakes on new pumps
In February, the Denver City Council significantly limited where new gas stations can be built, a move that scuttled several projects in the works and prompted litigation.
The zoning amendment bars new gas stations within a quarter mile of existing stations or rail platforms, as well as within 300 feet of certain residential zone districts.
BusinessDen noted that QuikTrip, which is in the process of expanding into the Denver region, was heavily affected by the measure.
The chain sued in March. Its lawsuit was thrown out in July, but QuikTrip is appealing.
A deal for FirstBank
Lakewood-based FirstBank has long been one of the biggest names in Colorado banking.
So it was big news in September when the bank announced it had agreed to be bought by Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank.
Only BusinessDen drilled down to detail who will make a huge windfall from the sale, which has yet to close. Mary and Nancy Reisher, daughters of the bank’s first president, are poised to get $1.5 billion.
Sonder implosion
BusinessDen was first to report in November that San Francisco-based hotel operator Sonder was ceasing operations. The surprise decision came after Maryland-based Marriott International abruptly terminated a licensing deal it had with Sonder.
Sonder began operating in Denver in 2019 and had five spots in the city as of this fall.
“We’re obviously still adjusting to all this,” one Denver landlord told us.
“It’s not horrible news financially,” another said. “It’s just work.”
A large crowd works its way into the stadium to watch a Denver Broncos game at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on Nov. 17, 2024. (Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)
It’s been a year.
Around the country, there was economic uncertainty. The stock market was jolted by tariffs, only to climb back steadily. Inflation concerns remain. Much of the real estate sector remained stagnant at best, with data centers a key exception. Groundbreakings continued to be a rarity.
But amid the uncertainty, business didn’t stop. And BusinessDen was there to cover it.
Here are some of the biggest stories our newsroom covered this year:
The Burnham Yard Broncos
In mid-June, our newsroom pressed “Publish” on a story we knew would get the state talking.
Everyone knew the Denver Broncos were considering building a new stadium. But the team wasn’t saying much on the search.
We had determined, by making calls and scouring property records, that the Broncos — using a network of generic LLCs — had quietly purchased $150 million in private property around Burnham Yard, a former railyard in central Denver that is owned by the state.
The implication was clear: This was where the team wanted to build a new stadium.
The Broncos didn’t confirm or deny our reporting at the time.
But three months later, in early September, the team announced plans to build a stadium at Burnham Yard.
The southern end of Denver Water’s site in the Lincoln Park neighborhood on June 14, 2025. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
Denver Water takes one for the team
Burnham Yard is a crescent-shaped stretch of land.
And it’s adjacent to Denver Water’s main operations complex, which spans 35 acres.
When our newsroom learned of the property acquisitions by the Broncos, it was immediately clear to us that the team might be talking to Denver Water, hoping to acquire at least some of the municipal utility’s land.
We filed a public records request with Denver Water, seeking emails between the organization and the team.
What we received confirmed that the Broncos and Denver Water were talking regularly.
Denver Water also sent notices to some nearby property owners, saying it might seek to take their land through eminent domain, apparently to replace the land it would give to the Broncos.
But the utility opted against following through with that.
Instead, in early September, Denver Water announced that it would cede 25 acres to the Broncos and instead relocate operations to several sites, the largest of which will be a former AT&T call center in the Elyria-Swansea neighborhood.
The 700 17th St. tower filed for bankruptcy this year. (BusinessDen file)
Office distress continues
It was another bleak year for the office sector.
Want some examples?
The 28-story office tower at 621 17th St. in Denver and the adjacent 32-story 633 17th St. tower sold for a combined $3 million in April, although the deal didn’t include the land underneath them.
The 463,000-square-foot Lincoln Crossing office complex at 1775 Sherman St. and 1776 Lincoln St. in Denver sold for $10 million in April, down from $95 million in 2018.
A lender declined to take back the Columbine Place tower at 210 16th St. in Denver after the owner defaulted.
Two local office buildings filed for bankruptcy.
A lender foreclosed on downtown’s Market Center.
Denver pumps the brakes on new pumps
In February, the Denver City Council significantly limited where new gas stations can be built, a move that scuttled several projects in the works and prompted litigation.
The zoning amendment bars new gas stations within a quarter mile of existing stations or rail platforms, as well as within 300 feet of certain residential zone districts.
BusinessDen noted that QuikTrip, which is in the process of expanding into the Denver region, was heavily affected by the measure.
The chain sued in March. Its lawsuit was thrown out in July, but QuikTrip is appealing.
A deal for FirstBank
Lakewood-based FirstBank has long been one of the biggest names in Colorado banking.
So it was big news in September when the bank announced it had agreed to be bought by Pittsburgh-based PNC Bank.
Only BusinessDen drilled down to detail who will make a huge windfall from the sale, which has yet to close. Mary and Nancy Reisher, daughters of the bank’s first president, are poised to get $1.5 billion.
Sonder implosion
BusinessDen was first to report in November that San Francisco-based hotel operator Sonder was ceasing operations. The surprise decision came after Maryland-based Marriott International abruptly terminated a licensing deal it had with Sonder.
Sonder began operating in Denver in 2019 and had five spots in the city as of this fall.
“We’re obviously still adjusting to all this,” one Denver landlord told us.
“It’s not horrible news financially,” another said. “It’s just work.”
