The city of Denver and the Colorado Rockies want to limit development near Coors Field to preserve the amazing view from the grandstand, but local property owners say it will devalue their building values.
The city of Denver and the Colorado Rockies want to limit development near Coors Field to preserve the amazing view from the grandstand, but local property owners say it will devalue their building values.
This isn't a new debate, as we've reported on it several times over the years. The Metropolitan Major League Baseball Stadium District, which owns and operates Coors Field, has purchased one property for $2.4 million from a developer who wanted to build a high-rise right outside Coors Field, and it looks like the district will purchase another from another disgruntled developer. (The properties will be used for parking; some existing lots will be lost when light rail is extended to the ballpark.)
The issue has some broad applicability in the baseball world: to what extent is the view considered part of the ballpark? When you're charging hundreds of dollars for a seat, you want to make sure what's beyond the ballpark is as attractive as what's in. In Denver, that means preserving the look and feel of the West and mountains from the Coors Field grandstand. And, to their credit, the Metropolitan Major League Baseball Stadium District is buying out adversely affected land owners.
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