‘Activity district’ proposed for old Sprint campus as Royals stadium remains elusive
A development proposed for an empty corner of Overland Park’s former Sprint campus — which is also one of the sites the Kansas City Royals are eyeing for a new stadium — has been delayed for a third time, pushing back when it could be up for public consideration.
The 200-acre campus, now called Aspiria, is a contender for a potential Royals ballpark after the team confirmed that an affiliate purchased the mortgage of the campus in the spring, giving the team some financial leverage over the site.
However, the team still hasn’t confirmed which site — or even which side of the state line — they will select for their desired new stadium, despite saying they hoped to by mid-summer. Both the Kansas and Missouri legislatures have extended the team’s incentive package deadlines to give them more time to make a decision.
According to city planning documents, Aspiria’s current owners are proposing a mixed-use regional activity district on 51 acres at the northwest corner of 119th Street and Nall Avenue. The site is surrounded by commercial, residential and light industrial areas, according to the applicant’s submission.
The proposed development was originally slated to be discussed in July, but is set to be continued to November during Monday’s Planning Commission meeting.
No tenants were named in the available documents. OPS-KC Aspiria LLC’s, which proposed the project, resident agent is Brian Burris, according to Kansas Secretary of State business filings. Brian Burris is also the chief legal counsel for Occidental Management, which owns the campus.
Occidental Management did not respond to The Star’s request for comment.
A Royals spokesperson declined to comment about the proposal and its work with Aspiria at this time. Overland Park city officials weren’t immediately available for comment.
According to Overland Park’s land use code, regional activity districts are the city’s “premiere mixed-use centers” that include a mix of residential and non-residential uses. This type of development can be used to help existing commercial areas grow vertically and mix multiple uses into one space — promoting walkability and increasing the “intensity in core areas of the site.”
“Regional Activity Districts are appropriate locations for unique entertainment destination uses and community event spaces,” according to the land use code.
‘There is no deal’
A Royals affiliate, operating under the name 119 Real Estate Holdings LLC, bought Aspiria’s $232.5 million mortgage for a reported $183.5 million in the spring. By purchasing the debt, the baseball team has the opportunity to make roughly $66 million while gaining more leverage over the site’s future.
In July, Fox 4 reported that the Royals and Occidental reached an agreement to give the Royals ownership of the site, but both parties came forward to say that “there is no deal,” but they are continuing to work together toward a solution.
Johnson County Property Records show no change in ownership and no records around the Royals affiliate as of September 8.
Other projects in the works
The continued mixed-use project comes at the same time as HCW Development – a national real estate, development and hospitality company — announced construction for a 10-acre mixed-use development, including a new hotel, at the southwest corner of 119th and Nall.
The 100,000-square-foot, four-story AC Hotel by Marriott will include 126 rooms and 4,500 square feet of meeting and event space. HCW added that two “nationally recognized restaurants” have signed leases to join the hotel site.
About 10,000 square-feet of retail will surround the hotel, with five leasable spaces. Tenants for the retail portion of the project haven’t been announced at this time. HCW anticipates that the project will open in the late fall of 2026.
The Aspiria office campus will also be the new home to a hub for Fiserv, a Milwaukee-based financial technology services company, after a historic incentive agreement with the state. The $175 million project is expected to bring in 2,000 high-paying jobs to Overland Park.
A Royals spokesperson said in a previous statement that the team and Aspiria’s owners are working together to make sure all existing tenants on the campus are protected before any deal is reached.
The Planning Commission will vote to delay discussion of the proposed regional activity district to its Nov. 11 meeting. The Overland Park Planning Commission meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second Monday of every month at City Hall, 8500 Santa Fe Drive.
This story was originally published September 9, 2025 at 5:52 AM.