Funding boost for MLB Royals stadium

Image: BNIM

A plan to build a new downtown ballpark for the Kansas City Royals in Washington Square Park has been boosted after the City approved up to $600 million in public funding.

Front Office Sports said the city council voted to advance the $1.9 billion ballpark project, putting the Royals in their strongest position yet to secure a finalized stadium deal.

The ballpark would be built just east of Union Station, north of Crown Center in Kansas City, in what’s now Washington Square Park, and it would not require a new citywide vote.

Funds from the state of Missouri would also support the stadium’s construction.

The approved plan is projected as a “Downtown Baseball District” around the new stadium. This would include hotels, mixed-use projects, and other infrastructural activities.

The city would float municipal bonds to help support the $1.9 billion project, to be paid off through taxes on new economic activity related to the stadium, and existing sources.

The state of Missouri could kick in tax incentives totaling up to half the cost of the project. The Royals would then lease the stadium for a minimum of 30 years.

The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri (US). The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The 37,903-capacity Kauffman Stadium serves as their home venue.

The proposed ordinance was referred to the city council’s Finance Committee without a vote, but Mayor Quinton Lucas and nine of the 12 city council members have endorsed it as co-sponsors. The committee could approve the proposal as soon as next week, and it would then go to the full city council for a vote.

The Royals have previously entertained incentive packages to build in North Kansas City and Johnson County — although those discussions appear to have fallen apart in recent months.

Royals owner John Sherman told KCUR’s Up To Date that he likes the idea of building the stadium in the middle of the city.

City Manager Mario Vasquez said, “This is the work Kansas City needs to do to keep the Royals in Kansas City, and that work is just beginning.

“The next steps are for us to work closely with the Kansas City Royals and the broader community to ensure the success of this generational opportunity.”

Two years ago this month, Kansas City voters soundly rejected a proposal to build a new stadium in the Crossroads Arts District, just south of the downtown loop.

That stadium site would have bulldozed dozens of viable businesses and required a 40-year extension of a sales tax that has long supported both Kauffman Stadium and Arrowhead Stadium.

Washington Square Park has been the city’s preferred location since. It’s on the streetcar line, connecting the possible stadium to hotels from the Riverfront to the Country Club Plaza.

And unlike that 2024 tax extension, Kansas City’s plan to finance the Royals stadium this time would not require a public vote.

KCUR further stated that when the Royals first announced their intentions to build a stadium downtown, the Missouri Workers Center publicly pressured the team to sign a community benefits agreement.

The agreement would have ensured livable wages and union jobs for stadium workers, and guaranteed the construction of affordable housing around the prospective stadium.

Then, when the Royals declined or watered down those demands, the Missouri Workers Center and other community groups left the negotiating table and urged voters to reject the 2024 vote.

Continue to follow Coliseum for latest updates on venues business news. Coliseum is dedicated towards building the best global community of sports and entertainment venue executives and professionals creating better and more profitable venues.

Become a member of the only Global Sports Venue Alliance and connect with stadiums, arenas and experts from around the world. Apply for membership at coliseum-online.com/alliance and make use of the 365Coliseum Business.

• Tags »
• ballpark
• funding
• Royals

« Previous News: Community-embedded Nashville SC Geodis Park
» Next News: Star TV role for Exbud Arena renovation