Ballpark Digest is previewing what every MLB team is doing to begin the season, both on and off the field, as the 2019 season is underway. Up next: the Colorado Rockies and Coors Field.
This season will bring some new elements to Coors Field, but there will also be an emphasis on the future as construction on upcoming development led by the Rockies takes place in the surrounding area.
Coors Field has been known for its unique menu items over the years–including 2018’s introduction of the Rocky Mountain Po’boy–and the ballpark will see some notable additions this season from the Rockies and concessionaire Aramark. One of those is the Elote Topped Tots (pictured above), which offers tater tots topped with street corn, zesty mayo, cotija cheese, cilantro, cayenne pepper and green chili queso. In addition, the 2019 season will also see the debut of the Shishito Peppers, featuring Crispy shishito peppers, Thai chili vinaigrette, green chili, and chorizo queso.
Getting into Coors Field should be a bit easier for some fans this season, as the Rockies will offer CLEAR lanes at gates C and D for every home game. CLEAR, the biometric screening system, has been increasingly used at MLB ballparks in recent years and will have a presence at Coors Field this season. (Note: the CLEAR membership used for ballparks does not cover CLEAR usage in airports.)
For their home opener on Friday, the Rockies will open the CLEAR lane at Gate C two hours prior to game time. It will be open an hour-and-a-half before game time for the remainder of the season, with the CLEAR lane at Gate D opening 40 minutes prior to each game.
Outside of Coors Field, the Rockies are working on a major project that will result in a new mixed-use development. Currently under construction at Coors Field’s former West Lot, the development will boast three interconnected buildings–one of which will house the team’s Hall of Fame and a 176-room hotel, with condos and offices in separate buildings–a 29,000-square-foot public plaza with a berm and an outdoor video screen, and underground parking.
The former parking lot was fenced off late in the 2018 season, and construction is ongoing as the project pushes for an early 2021 opening. A formal naming ceremony for the project is scheduled for April 4, according to the Denver Post.
The site where the development is being built is owned by the Denver Metropolitan Major League Baseball Stadium District, but is being leased by the Rockies as part of a 99-year, $125 million agreement. That is part of a larger arrangement finalized in 2017 that also saw the Rockies extend their Coors Field lease agreement through the 2047 season.
Image courtesy Aramark.
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