COMMERCE CITY • David Wegner relishes the growth of tailgating outside Dick’s Sporting Goods Park before Colorado Rapids games.

What began 10 years ago as a keg and some hot dogs among friends in Centennial 38 — the team’s official MLS fan support group — has grown into six taps, wood-fired pizza, live music and countless folks on a giddy Saturday night.

Wegner, 51, said: “We have an open-for-all policy. It’s not just for C38. It’s for anybody that wants to come by and break bread with us.”

Look around DSGP and the mood shifts.

Kroenke Sports & Entertainment — ownership group of the Colorado Avalanche (NHL), Denver Nuggets (NBA) and Rapids — built on this plot of land about 10 miles northwest of downtown Denver with a grand vision for an adjacent entertainment district with retail, offices, restaurants and bars. In April 2007, at the park’s grand opening, then KSE executive vice president Paul Andrews told the local media: “We’re in negotiations right now with many retailers. There is a lot of interest out there.”

Yet, almost two decades later, nothing has replaced the adjacent soccer fields, parking lots and vacant land surrounding the stadium.

“It’s a reflection of the overall feeling from a lot of the fan base,” said Wegner, a Denver resident and Rapids season ticket holder since 2010. “It’s an opportunity missed. Promises made and not fulfilled on the whole development of this team.”

It’s not too late. Kroenke renewed efforts this summer to develop around DSGP and presented the vision to Commerce City at a May 1 city council meeting in a public presentation. Their plans mimic celebrated stadium-adjacent residential/ entertainment districts in Kansas City (Power & Light) and suburban Atlanta (The Battery), with modern amenities for a Commerce City downtown hub named Victory Crossing.

The perfect solution? Not quite.

Commerce City spokesman Travis Huntington confirmed to The Denver Gazette that the city “welcomes this renewed conversation around the future development at Victory Crossing.” But Kroenke’s historic inaction to develop the land, and perceived financial inequities of their proposal, earned a visceral reaction from multiple city councilmembers.

“If someone came to you in the private market, and laid this in front of you, it’s almost laughable,” Commerce City councilor Sean Ford said.

Stan Kroenke owns about 60 million square feet of real estate, per Forbes, with his current net worth estimated at $12.9 billion. Included in that portfolio is a 269-acre plot surrounding DSGP that he bought from Commerce City in 2014 for just over $4.3 million, according to KSE’s May 1 presentation.

Kroenke is now seeking an additional 88.2 acres — cityowned parking lots and soccer fields east and south of the stadium — with a “three-party mutual gains land exchange” between KSE, Commerce City and the South Adams County Water and Sanitation District. Here’s the breakdown:

• KSE gives the water district 9.7 acres for the expansion of a treatment facility to remove forever chemicals (PFAS) from the water supply.

• The water district gives 6 acres to Commerce City to complete the Rosemary Street widening project.

• Commerce City gives KSE 88.2 acres to complete Victory Crossing.

The numbers didn’t add up for Commerce City councilor Susan Noble. She questioned the land disparity and why KSE should receive such a large parcel at zero cost to the billion-dollar company. Noble ran a comparative analysis and found that 88.2 acres elsewhere in Commerce City might be valued at $50 million. “The issues regarding the land that KSE has and what they want to do with it should be completely separate from the projects sites to the north and the water and sewer district property,” Noble said. “We need to take care of that as a city and residents have been asking about water. To tie it in with a $50 million land swap is nonsensical.”

KSE cited the pandemic and previous building restrictions as reasons for the delayed development of Victory Crossing. Residential housing, a critical piece of KSE’s plan, was barred from the site until 2017 due to past contamination at the former Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge site. KSE declined to comment to The Denver Gazette when asked to further discuss its proposal.

Kroenke’s motivation to complete Victory Crossing soon is likely tied to the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup coming to North America and capitalizing on a soccer popularity boom. Will Commerce City leaders find the middle ground to make it happen?

Both sides further discussed the topic in an executive session during a June 12 city council meeting and plan to meet again in the future.

“This dialogue is a great opportunity to further strengthen our relationship with both the Colorado Rapids and KSE while also meeting the expectations that we continue to hear from our community,” said Huntington, the Commerce City spokesperson. “Victory Crossing is a strategically important location that can offer the type of development, services and amenities the community wants to see in the area, while adding economic value both for the city and our long-standing partnership with KSE.”

It’s been a difficult year to be a Rapids fan. The team was an abysmal 2-10-8 entering the weekend with the second-worst MLS average home attendance (15,081). But give ownership some level of credit.

Fan experience improvements are underway.

DSGP has unveiled two new areas inside the stadium this season with “Dale’s Bar” on the south end and “The North Boundary” outdoor field-level patio seating on the opposite side. More updates are likely to come with input from Centennial 38.

“We were lucky enough to be involved in a lot of conversations with the front office in the summer,” said Wegner, among the original C38 board members, who remains involved today. “They really relied heavily on us for some input. We had regular meetings all through the offseason. We did more in this offseason in a collaborative sense, in a matter of three or four months, than we have probably done in the last 10 years.”

KSE has submitted similar plans to redevelop the land around Ball Arena with the Avalanche and Nuggets also in desperate need of new practice facilities. Kroenke’s reinvestment into his professional sports teams in Colorado is a welcome sight — even if it’s long overdue.

But the Rapids don’t have a recent championship to appease dedicated fans and season-ticket holders. They last won the MLS Cup in 2010. The completion of Victory Crossing would be a major step toward bringing the franchise back into relevancy.

“The tree is starting to bear fruit. I just hope that it’s not too late for a lot of folks,” Wegner said. “I’m going to be there regardless. We love the badge and because we built this community that keeps us connected. But there are going to be people who justifiably lose patience.”