Denver’s dreams of a new women’s soccer stadium will have to wait a little longer as members of the city council voted Monday to delay an ordinance rezoning the land where the stadium is proposed to be built.

Council Bill 25-1541 was postponed at the request of the city’s “executive branch” to allow for the vote on the soccer stadium rezoning to coincide with the remaining pieces of legislation covering public funding and other steps necessary to keep the stadium in Denver.

Previous delays have caused tension between the Denver Summit FC owners and the council, with the franchise owners beginning to look for alternative stadium locations outside Denver.

Franchise owners are under a time constraint, as they promised the National Women’s Soccer League in their bid that they would have a stadium built by the 2028 season. 

Members of the city council have made it clear to the franchise that they will not vote on any elements of the package until they have a Community Benefits agreement in hand.

Denver Summit announced in March it planned to build a 10,000- to 12,000-seat stadium on the former home of the Gates rubber factory. The site, off Interstate 25 and Broadway, has long sat empty since Gates closed the factory and has been the site of several development proposals that promised to reenergize the neighborhood but never came to fruition.

Denver City Council President Amanda Sandoval said the council will vote on the entire package during the 5:30 p.m. session of the Dec. 22 council meeting.

KEY LIME AIR CONTRACT REJECTED

Florida-based Key Lime Air hit a major headwind after members of the city council voted 11 to 1 to reject a contract to expand its operations at Denver International Airport.

The contact air carrier, which also operates under the name Denver Air Connect, recently came under fire after protests erupted outside of its headquarters at Centennial Airport and at CU Boulder over the outfit’s suspected operation of federal deportation flights.

While several news agencies have reported that the contact airline is providing transportation on behalf of ICE, the company has not detailed its exact relationship with the federal agency.

The Denver Gazette contacted Key Lime Air for comment, but did not receive a response by publication time.

“I have been following Key Lime Air for the greater part of this year, and I’m very, very concerned about the illegal deportations that this vendor is taking part in at the Centennial Airport,” District 11 Councilmember Stacie Gilmore said, adding that there was no way she could “morally or ethically” vote affirmatively on the expansion of space requested. 

“I believe that we talk a lot in these chambers and in the Denver City Council, of living our values, and that what we invest in is a value document, and at this point in time, with the current actions by Key Lime Air, there is no way ethically or morally that I can vote affirmatively on the expansion of space requested.

According to the ordinance request filed with the city council, Key Lime Air proposes to lease approximately 1,200 square feet of ground space in the south cargo area to park equipment used in their operation. 

“If we vote it down, the consequence is only that they have to store it in the common use area of the cargo apron and not have an area that’s all their own,” District 2 Councilmember Kevin Flynn said.

Several individuals applauded the council’s “no” vote during the general public comment session.

“Rejecting a contract extension with Key Lime Air is not merely a procedural decision; it’s a clear moral and political statement,” Madalia Maaliki said. “Declining to provide logistical support for ICE sends an unmistakable message that Denver will not assist in the detention, transport and separation of our neighbors under policies we know to be unlawful and unjust.” 

Denver Gazette reporter Bernadette Berdychowsky contributed to this report.