The Denver City Council on Monday approved the broad strokes of a new neighborhood that could rise from some of the parking lots around Broncos Stadium at Mile High.

Backed by the Denver Broncos, the proposed development follows in the footsteps of other high-density stadium developments around the country.

“While we have a long way to go to make this vision a reality, this plan is the first step in that direction,” said Matt Sugar, director of stadium affairs for the Metropolitan Football Stadium District, which owns the land.

The master plan was drafted by city staff with input from residents, the team and organizations around West Denver. It covers the southern half of the stadium area, along with the “cloverleaf” around Federal Boulevard and West Colfax Avenue.

The document describes a mixed-use development with parks, shopping and residential buildings, including affordable housing for households from “very low” to middle income. But the legal structure of the development could make it complicated to build for-sale units, the plan warns.

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Buildings on the site could rise to a “base height” of five floors, or up to 30 floors if they meet certain design and affordability requirements, the city plan suggests.

“The more growth we can put on this site, the more it relieves pressure on other neighborhoods. I want to be clear, the development here is happening on parking lots,” said Councilwoman At-large Robin Kniech, stressing that the plan was the result of a months-long community process.

The document also recommends revamping the looping cloverleaf road exchange around Federal and Colfax. Illustrations show tall buildings and green space around the notorious intersection, but that’s not guaranteed.

Preliminary documents said the project could host some 2,000 residents, plus retail, restaurants, offices and hundreds of hotel rooms, totaling 3.5 million square feet. It could require $150 million of roads, parks and more to be funded by special taxes on the site.

But the numbers could change, the project’s representatives stressed.

“We don’t have developers at the table. I’m not a developer. I’m a football guy,” said Mac Freeman, chief commercial officer for the Broncos.

Those details will come as the partners go through the more detailed rezoning process and work with developers.

The project would lease the land from the stadium districts, which represents seven metro counties. The development deal would pay for maintenance and upgrades of the stadium.

Freeman previously said that the stadium could need $700 million of work over the next 25 years. Denver metro residents paid for most of the stadium’s original cost through sales taxes. The Broncos rent it for about $3.5 million per year in a long-term lease.

Councilwoman At-large Debbie Ortega asked whether the area could handle the cumulative impact of the stadium project, River Mile and other big plans.

“But to be here tonight and know that everyone’s pretty much singing the same tune … in general, this is a big deal,” she said.

The council approved the plan unanimously in a 9-0 vote with four council members absent.