Johnson County neighbors rally against Royals stadium, sick of secret negotiations

With no determination as to where a new ballpark stadium could go, a group of residents organized a community meeting to hear feedback and concerns around the Royals possibly becoming a new neighbor.

“I think it’s kind of grim and frustrating that we have probably so few options to voice our opinion,” Leawood resident Hilary McCoy said after the community meeting on Monday. “A lot of power is in a very small amount of hands.”

Overland Park’s Aspiria Campus, formerly Sprint, is one of three confirmed sites in the running for a possible stadium, including Washington Square Park in downtown Kansas City and across the river in North Kansas City.

The Aspiria site raised more speculation as a possible contender after a Royals affiliate purchased the site in May, giving the team some financial leverage over it. City planning documents show the campus’s current owner recently withdrew its previous development plan, which called for a mixed-use regional activity district on 51 acres at the northwest corner of 119th Street and Nall Avenue.

The meeting at the Leawood Community Center on Monday night was organized by residents who came together as part of a growing, vocal effort to oppose a Royals stadium in the Kansas City suburb — claiming that a stadium would be problematic for traffic, public safety, infrastructure and businesses in the area.

A spokesperson for the Royals said the team remains in serious talks about all three sites where stadium proposals have been pitched. But the Johnson County residents who spoke during Monday’s meeting are frustrated with the lack of transparency coming from the team and state officials.

“There is clearly work going on with no work presented from Johnson County, Overland Park or Royals ownership,” resident Amanda Palan said. “Residents should be informed or polled about billion-dollar projects that will change the character of their community.”

State deals

Gov. Laura Kelly signed a supercharged incentive package into law in June 2024 offering to fund up to 70% of new stadium costs with public money — specifically sales tax and revenue, or STAR bonds.

A group of top Kansas lawmakers voted in July to extend the law authorizing the STAR bond incentive package for the Royals and Chiefs through June 2026. But as a caveat, they indicated they would not entertain a proposal brought to them after Dec. 31, 2025.

Lawmakers will have one more opportunity to review a stadium proposal between now and the end of the year at a December meeting of the Legislative Coordinating Council. That meeting has not yet been scheduled.

Kansas state Representative Mari-Lynn Poskin, a Democrat who represents the parts of Leawood and Overland Park that would be impacted by the potential stadium, spoke during Monday’s meeting in Leawood and encouraged residents to reach out to members in the Legislative Coordinating Council with their concerns, and be involved at the local level when possible.

The Aspiria Campus is zoned for mixed-use development, allowing for a stadium or other recreational facilities to be built at the site — which means that it’s unlikely for Overland Park to see a rezoning application from the Royals. However, STAR bond zones allow for a 60-day public comment period, she said.

Neighborhood impacts

Resident Palan joined the effort just last week because of her concerns as a parent. The Johnson County resident also sits as the Blue Valley North High School Parent-Teacher Organization’s co-president.

Blue Valley North and Valley Park Elementary Schools are less than a mile from the proposed stadium site. Palan said she’s primarily concerned about the congestion that game days could cause and how that would impact young drivers on the road and kids in the area.

“This is already a highly, densely populated suburban residential area. A Major League Baseball stadium is crazy,” she said. “High school is from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. almost every day of the week. There’s traffic all over the schools. Blue Valley North is not allowed to put lighting up at our schools because it could disturb the senior center next door.”

Alongside concerns about public safety and traffic, Overland Park resident Chris Lanaman shared concerns about trash management and how the stadium would impact existing wastewater infrastructure and electricity demand. He also worries about taxpayers footing the bill for needed improvements.

“That would not be paid for in STAR bonds. That is out of our pockets,” he said. “I love the Chiefs. I love the Royals. I agree they need to be in Kansas or Missouri, but not in a developed neighborhood.”

The Star’s Matthew Kelly contributed reporting.

This story was originally published December 9, 2025 at 11:14 AM.