Initial steps are underway to develop Burnham Yard into a mixed-used entertainment district with a Broncos stadium.

The city of Denver hosted an open house Wednesday at the La Alma Recreation Center to begin a yearlong neighborhood planning process to create a vision for Burnham Yard — a historic 58-acre railyard south of Colfax Avenue and east of Interstate 25. It is the preferred site for a new NFL stadium financed privately by the Walton-Penner family ownership group.

Broncos team president Damani Leech and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston joined the public workshop — with about 300 people registered — to start a conversation toward realizing community goals of a redeveloped Burnham Yard while addressing the potential impact on surrounding neighborhoods.

“This is about listening and learning for us,” Leech said. “This is one critical piece of that over the course of the next several years where we will be doing it. The city is obviously running this (event), but it’s great to be a part of it. … It’s early in the process, but we also have some conceptual ideas. Hopefully, people feel a little bit educated about where we are and also give us some feedback.”

Johnston added: “What we like about this process is that we’re not in a hurry. We have five years still left on the lease at (Empower Field) and we appreciate the Broncos doing the right thing on process. So, we have a full year to do this (small) area plan and do a community benefits agreement.”

Open house attendees on Wednesday walked through stations with several posing questions on poster boards about the planned development at Burnham Yard.

— What does equity mean for this project?

— What environmental priorities and economic priorities should the Burnham Yard small area plan focus on to ensure long-term success?

— What community livability priorities, connection and access priorities should the Burnham Yard small area plan focus on most?

— How would you like to see yourself and your community being part of the life and opportunities that this project creates for generations to come?

Community members were given sticky notes and pens to help answer those questions. Multicolored notes filled each board over the 2-hour open house with feedback. City representatives and project partners were also on hand to answer questions.

Gable Patterson, 29, is a Denver resident who added his thoughts to several of the question boards.

“I really want to make sure that there are strong transit and train connections,” Patterson told The Denver Gazette. “The more cars it brings into the area, the worse it gets. The more people it brings in, the better. So, it’s just trying to find that balance of not overloading this small area and just bring in a lot of people.”

Jennifer Lee, 39, lives in the La Alma Lincoln Park directly east of Burnham Yard. She provided project feedback at the event.

“That is not an area that is currently well used, so I’m very excited to see that space activated more and more investment in the community,” Lee said. “I think where I am a little concerned is, for example, the area around current Broncos stadium — I wouldn’t say that is an area that’s currently activated. We can’t be following that model.”

The Broncos submitted a large development review preapplication to the city earlier this month. It is proposed that the site feature open public spaces, retail, dining and housing designed for year-round use. The open house Wednesday focused on the neighborhood impact.

Leech described their feedback as “critical” even if community members expressed skepticism.

“Listening means not just hearing, but taking it in. I think this is a part of it,” Leech said. “Not everything that’s been posted on the boards is overwhelmingly positive, and there are certainly things that people would love to see. You see a lot of things about respect the culture and respect the history of the neighborhood. There are concerns about displacement. There are concerns about property taxes. All things that we assumed would be concerns.”

The next step in the Burnham Yard development takes place early next year with plan concepts and alternatives before a second community meeting sometime in February. The Broncos launched a website — newstadium.denverbroncos.com — to help keep the public informed.

“What we want is to end the era of the old stadiums where you have 80 acres of parking lots around it,” Johnston said. “What we want is a place that’s a great activation on game day. But it’s a place where people live and work all the time. And it feels like it’s connected to the history and the place of the neighborhood. That would be a win for us.”