Royals community-centric new ballpark plans

Article posted by Coliseum, July 31^st, 2023

Image: Kansas City Royals & MLB

More than eight months ago, the Major League Baseball (MLB) team Kansas City Royals (US) Chairman and head honcho John Sherman announced intentions to build a new ballpark. In two months, the Kansas City community will know where the stadium will sit.

‘kctv5.com’ stated that in a letter to the Royals fans, Sherman announced that by late September, “We plan to announce which site will best fulfill our pledge to create 1) powerful community impact, 2) generate sustainable economic activity in the county, City and State, and 3) greater opportunity for the citizens of our region.”

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 Central division.

The 37,903-capacity Kauffman Stadium, often called ‘The K’, is a baseball stadium located in Kansas City, Missouri (US). It is the ballpark to the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB). It is part of the Truman Sports Complex together with the adjacent 76,416-capacity Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).

The Truman Sports Complex is a sports and entertainment facility located in Kansas City, Missouri. It is home to two major sports venues: Arrowhead Stadium, home of the National Football League’s Kansas City Chiefs, and Kauffman Stadium, home of Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals.

‘kctv5.com’ further stated that two final sites have been singled out as contenders to host the new Royals stadium and an adjacent ballpark district: The East Village in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, and the North Kansas City. The East Village location is around 20 acres while the North Kansas City location is closer to 80, according to Sherman.

Sherman said the entire stadium and ballpark district project would cost $2 billion. He has maintained that the club will commit to $1 billion in private funding.

The letter also detailed that the project would take at least three years to complete.

The Royals have shared the Truman Sports Complex with the Kansas City Chiefs since the construction of the Kauffman Stadium and the Arrowhead Stadium. Under the current lease agreement between the Royals and the Jackson County, a 3/8-cent sales tax goes toward the upkeep of facilities.

Sherman said the Royals would like that sales tax to continue – and expect it to likely be on the ballot in the Spring – taking the $350 million it typically provides for stadium maintenance at the Kauffman Stadium and shifting it to the construction of a new stadium.

A downtown ballpark would link the East Village and the area surrounding the 17,297-capacity T-Mobile Center. That location would keep the club in Jackson County. In May, Mayor Quinton Lucas pushed back on a potential taxpayer battle between the residents of Jackson County and Clay County.

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