New Royals Stadium
 | |
 | |
| Location | Kansas City, Missouri |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°05′42.4″N 94°34′47.8″W / 39.095111°N 94.579944°W |
| Owner | Jackson County, Missouri |
| Capacity | 34,000 |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 2028 (planned) |
| Construction cost | $2 billion |
| Architect | Populous |
| Tenants | |
| Kansas City Royals (2028–) kcballparkdistrict.com | |
New Royals Stadium is a proposed baseball stadium to be constructed in the Kansas City metropolitan area. It is to be home to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball when the team's lease at Kauffman Stadium expires after the 2030 MLB season. A 40-year extension of an existing 3/8th tax was put to a vote on April 2, 2024 to build the stadium, but the ballot amendment overwhelmingly failed with 58% of voters rejecting it.
The team's ownership group has continued to find a location to build a new stadium, considering locations in both the Missouri and Kansas sides of the city's limits.
Background
[edit]In 2021, John Sherman started talking openly about his desire for the Royals to play in a stadium in downtown Kansas City.[1] In November 2022, Sherman announced that the team will leave Kauffman Stadium prior to the end of their lease which expires at the end of the 2030 MLB season.[2] The team announced in June 2023 that the two final sites under consideration for the stadium district were the East Village neighborhood and North Kansas City,[3][4] but a third site in the Crossroads district emerged as the final site chosen by the team in February 2024.[5]
While the Royals ownership group committed $1 billion towards a stadium and ballpark district, a larger chunk of the funding would come from the passing of an election referendum for a 40-year, 3/8th-cent sales tax to help finance the new Royals ballpark and renovate Arrowhead Stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs.[6][7][8][9] This referendum was rejected by Jackson County voters on April 2nd, 2024.[10] Even after the failed ballot initiative, the team plans to open a new stadium by the start of the 2027 or 2028 MLB season,[11] and it would have a seating capacity of about 34,000.[12]
The plan was a controversial one, considering the proposed stadium location would have required over a dozen small businesses to close or relocate, the limited amount of parking downtown, and claims that Kauffman Stadium got a "bad batch of concrete" when built.[5] Alongside the stadium plan, the 3/8th-cent sales tax also received significant public pushback due to the Royals and Chiefs struggling to present finalized plans to voters, bringing about several accusations of lacking transparency throughout the process.[13]
Alternate proposals
[edit]The Royals are also considering relocating across the state border to Kansas City, Kansas,[14] as well as considering building a downtown ballpark in Washington Square Park, an area located between Union Station and Crown Center on the Missouri side.[15] In November 2024, it was reported that the Royals were also examining "two or three" potential stadium sites in Johnson County, Kansas.[16]
References
[edit]- ^ Open letter fron John ShermanNew Ballpark FAQ
- ^ Rogers, Anne (November 15, 2022). "Royals pursuing new downtown Kansas City ballpark". Royals.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Truong, Wilson (June 15, 2023). "Royals narrow potential ballpark sites to North Kansas City, East Village". KSHB.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
- ^ Maddrick, Bryant (October 1, 2023). "Despite luke-warm season, Royals fans are fired up for new ballpark". KSHB.com. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved October 2, 2023.
- ^ a b Dailey, Greg (February 13, 2024). "Royals Relocate: Club announces move from Truman Sports Complex to the Crossroads". kctv5.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ "KC Royals reveal plans for new stadium in Crossroads. But who pays what is still unclear". Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ "Kansas City Royals release renderings of proposed downtown stadium, April vote will help determine funding". Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Royals downtown stadium announcement didn't happen overnight. Here's how we got here". Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ "How big would the new Royals stadium in the Crossroads be? Here's what we know". Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Skretta, Dave (April 3, 2024). "Voters reject stadium tax for Royals and Chiefs, leaving future in KC in question". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ McDowell, Sam (August 4, 2023). "Inside Chiefs' plans for Arrowhead's future as Royals drive Kansas City stadium debate". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
- ^ "Royals unveil plans for ballpark in downtown Kansas City". ESPN.com. February 13, 2024. Archived from the original on February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
- ^ Skretta, Dave (April 3, 2024). "Voters reject stadium tax for Royals and Chiefs, leaving future in KC in question". Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 30, 2024. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
- ^ Johnson, Olivia (June 8, 2024). "Royals open to new Kansas stadium if lawmakers approve STAR Bonds". fox4kc.com. Fox 4 KC. Archived from the original on June 15, 2024. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
- ^ McDowell, Sam (August 14, 2024). "Royals, city of KC studying new downtown stadium site. Mayor Lucas wants to avoid vote". The Kansas City Star. Retrieved August 21, 2024.
- ^ Sloan, Nick (November 12, 2024). "Royals reportedly exploring multiple stadium locations in Johnson County, Kansas". KMBC-TV. Retrieved November 13, 2024.