Petition seeking vote on Royals’ stadium could snag KC Current’s expansion plan too
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Petition would require public votes for stadiums with seating of 2,500 or more.
- Council approved negotiating up to $235 million in bond financing for the Current.
- The petition could delay future stadium projects, though the Royals deal may proceed.
A citizen-led initiative petition seeking to force a vote on a new Royals stadium may also affect the city’s newest plan to help the Kansas City Current expand its riverfront stadium.
The proposed ordinance, backed by the petition from Missouri Workers Power, an affiliate of progressive labor advocacy groups Missouri Workers Center and Stand Up KC, could be worded broadly enough to also include the City Council’s second plan this year to help finance a stadium project in the city.
The City Council on Thursday approved an ordinance that allows the city to negotiate a public financing deal with the women’s soccer team’s officials and its partner developers.
The proposal offers up to $235 million of bond financing to help expand the Current’s stadium, build a new parking structure and improve infrastructure for the ongoing development of the riverfront. Any deal negotiated between team officials and the city will need to come back to the City Council for final approval.
During the same meeting, the petition supporting the proposed ordinance requiring public votes on stadium projects was formally introduced to the City Council. Council members can consider the proposal for 60 days before it can be placed on the ballot.
If approved by voters, the proposed ordinance would prohibit the city from providing support for the design or construction of a stadium, arena or similar venue with a seating capacity of 2,500 or more without a public vote. That means a stadium project using public funding would need to be approved by voters before it could commence.
Missouri Workers Power said in an email to The Star on Thursday that the proposed ordinance could affect the Current’s stadium expansion, but the group’s focus is the baseball stadium planned to be the Royals’ new home in the Crown Center area.
The group added that it is concerned that the city is considering another plan to subsidize development projects for private businesses using taxpayer dollars. The group said those funds could be used for more pressing issues like community services, and that’s why the city’s residents should get to vote on it.
“Kansas City taxpayers can’t afford to be a piggy bank for private profits, and at the very least they deserve a say in how these funds are allocated,” the group said.
Is it too late?
However, it’s possible — like the city’s plans for the Royals stadium — that the proposed ordinance won’t be enacted in time to stop the stadium expansion project. City officials have said that the earliest the petition’s proposed ordinance could appear on the ballot is this November.
Lucas has suggested that the city’s deal with the Royals could be finalized before then. But he acknowledged that other future projects could be subjected to it.
“This train’s already left the station,” Lucas said of the Royals stadium project. “I think we’ll get the necessary documents and deals signed, and a vote that comes after the fact, while incredibly interesting and perhaps detrimental to future projects in Kansas City, will not impact one where you’re already seeing movement.”
In light of Lucas’ comments about the Royals stadium, the group of petitioners warned city officials in a letter that rushing the project before a vote on the ordinance this fall could be unlawful.
“The people are watching and expect the Council to respect their input and desire for a vote,” the group said in the letter.
It’s unclear if those future projects would also include the Current’s stadium expansion. It’s possible that the project could be done before a vote on the proposed ordinance or even move faster than the Royals stadium project because it proposes expanding a structure that already exists.
Megan Strickland, a spokesperson for Lucas’ office, said on Thursday that Lucas and the city will continue to pursue the stadium projects regardless of the proposed ordinance.
“In the meantime, we will continue to work to build a strong future for Kansas City as a regional and increasingly global center for sports, entertainment, and business and jobs growth,” Strickland said.
