The site of the planned brick wall along University Boulevard in Denver on May 23, 2025. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
No word yet on a stadium, but the owners of the Denver Broncos have received approval to build a taller wall along a residential property they own in the Polo Club neighborhood.
Earlier this month, Denver’s obscure Board of Adjustment for Zoning unanimously voted that ownership of two lots along Polo Club Lane can build a 9-foot brick wall between them and University Boulevard.
That’s double the four-foot height that would normally be allowed.
The decision pertains to a stretch of University near its intersection with Dakota Avenue. For years, dense brush has grown on a berm rising from the roadway, obscuring the view into the ritzy subdivision.
That brush has since been cleared. Chain-link fencing with green fabric on it now sits on the berm, connecting with an existing brick wall further south on University.
From left, Greg Penner, Carrie Walton-Penner, Rob Walton and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in 2022. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
With the zoning variance approved by the board, the plan is to build a wall that will rise 8 feet, plus another foot for the regularly spaced columns.
Behind the wall will be the two parcels totaling 7.5 acres. The first was purchased for $17 million in late 2022 by Maroon Partners LLC. A related entity paid $10.5 million months later for the adjacent lot.
BusinessDen broke the news last year that the Walton-Penner family, which bought the Broncos in 2022 for $4.7 billion, was behind the buys and had submitted plans to spend an additional $22 million on a residence at the site. The Walton family owns just under 50% of Walmart.
The zoning adjustment board weighs in on whether Denver residents can get exemptions to minute city land-use restrictions. Recent approvals include splitting one big lot into two 4,686-square-foot lots in a zoning district that requires a minimum lot size of 5,500 square feet, and allowing a garage to encroach 1.3 feet into a required 5-foot setback.
No mention of the Broncos or Waltons was made at the May 20 board meeting. The application requesting the Polo Club variance, submitted by an employee of Denver-based Service First Permits, said a taller wall would enhance safety and reduce traffic noise.
“A 9-foot wall provides an important level of security and privacy for the owners of the gated property. … By providing a physical barrier between the property and University Blvd, the wall will create a quieter living condition for the owners,” the application stated.
The variance was needed because zoning considers University Boulevard to be a “primary street” to the property, despite the fact that the land is accessible only via privately owned roads within the ritzy subdivision.
Eight-foot brick walls already exist elsewhere within Polo Club, including along portions of this specific property, according to city documents. The board of the Polo Club Place Homeowners Association sent a letter supporting the request.
“This same wall design has been previously approved and constructed at 1 Polo Club Road, 9 Polo Club Lane, 12 Polo Club Lane, 680 S. University Boulevard, 620 S. University Boulevard, 2525 E. Exposition Avenue and 4 Polo Club Drive,” the association board wrote.
The wall would connect with, and mirror, an existing brick mall just to the south. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
While all board members voted yes last week, a few did raise eyebrows. Board member Jeremy Haywood referenced other situations with a smaller height difference — including 1 foot — that he felt city staff approached differently.
“If this were a property on the other side of University, there would be no way we would be approving a 9-foot wall along University. … So I say all that to say that when the city is looking at some of these other cases, they should also use the same standard when it applies to similar situations,” he said.
But Alex Bergeron, another board member, saw the request as “a bit more of a unique situation.”
“We already have essentially the same wall in place along part of this property, and the uniqueness of Polo Club in general kind of goes a long way with this,” he said.
But Bergeron and another board member did have a request for the property owner: Do a bit more to beautify the sidewalk-less stretch between the wall and University Boulevard, where the greenery once was.
“I would love to see some landscaping in there, even though it’s not something we can request or require,” Bergeron said.
The site of the planned brick wall along University Boulevard in Denver on May 23, 2025. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
No word yet on a stadium, but the owners of the Denver Broncos have received approval to build a taller wall along a residential property they own in the Polo Club neighborhood.
Earlier this month, Denver’s obscure Board of Adjustment for Zoning unanimously voted that ownership of two lots along Polo Club Lane can build a 9-foot brick wall between them and University Boulevard.
That’s double the four-foot height that would normally be allowed.
The decision pertains to a stretch of University near its intersection with Dakota Avenue. For years, dense brush has grown on a berm rising from the roadway, obscuring the view into the ritzy subdivision.
That brush has since been cleared. Chain-link fencing with green fabric on it now sits on the berm, connecting with an existing brick wall further south on University.
From left, Greg Penner, Carrie Walton-Penner, Rob Walton and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in 2022. (AAron Ontiveroz, The Denver Post)
With the zoning variance approved by the board, the plan is to build a wall that will rise 8 feet, plus another foot for the regularly spaced columns.
Behind the wall will be the two parcels totaling 7.5 acres. The first was purchased for $17 million in late 2022 by Maroon Partners LLC. A related entity paid $10.5 million months later for the adjacent lot.
BusinessDen broke the news last year that the Walton-Penner family, which bought the Broncos in 2022 for $4.7 billion, was behind the buys and had submitted plans to spend an additional $22 million on a residence at the site. The Walton family owns just under 50% of Walmart.
The zoning adjustment board weighs in on whether Denver residents can get exemptions to minute city land-use restrictions. Recent approvals include splitting one big lot into two 4,686-square-foot lots in a zoning district that requires a minimum lot size of 5,500 square feet, and allowing a garage to encroach 1.3 feet into a required 5-foot setback.
No mention of the Broncos or Waltons was made at the May 20 board meeting. The application requesting the Polo Club variance, submitted by an employee of Denver-based Service First Permits, said a taller wall would enhance safety and reduce traffic noise.
“A 9-foot wall provides an important level of security and privacy for the owners of the gated property. … By providing a physical barrier between the property and University Blvd, the wall will create a quieter living condition for the owners,” the application stated.
The variance was needed because zoning considers University Boulevard to be a “primary street” to the property, despite the fact that the land is accessible only via privately owned roads within the ritzy subdivision.
Eight-foot brick walls already exist elsewhere within Polo Club, including along portions of this specific property, according to city documents. The board of the Polo Club Place Homeowners Association sent a letter supporting the request.
“This same wall design has been previously approved and constructed at 1 Polo Club Road, 9 Polo Club Lane, 12 Polo Club Lane, 680 S. University Boulevard, 620 S. University Boulevard, 2525 E. Exposition Avenue and 4 Polo Club Drive,” the association board wrote.
The wall would connect with, and mirror, an existing brick mall just to the south. (Thomas Gounley/BusinessDen)
While all board members voted yes last week, a few did raise eyebrows. Board member Jeremy Haywood referenced other situations with a smaller height difference — including 1 foot — that he felt city staff approached differently.
“If this were a property on the other side of University, there would be no way we would be approving a 9-foot wall along University. … So I say all that to say that when the city is looking at some of these other cases, they should also use the same standard when it applies to similar situations,” he said.
But Alex Bergeron, another board member, saw the request as “a bit more of a unique situation.”
“We already have essentially the same wall in place along part of this property, and the uniqueness of Polo Club in general kind of goes a long way with this,” he said.
But Bergeron and another board member did have a request for the property owner: Do a bit more to beautify the sidewalk-less stretch between the wall and University Boulevard, where the greenery once was.
“I would love to see some landscaping in there, even though it’s not something we can request or require,” Bergeron said.
