What does Chiefs’ move to KCK mean for Wyandotte County? ‘Only the first step’
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas legislators approved a STAR bond deal to bring a $3 billion Chiefs stadium to KCK.
- Wyandotte County and KCK leaders will review terms heading into 2026.
- State projects 20,000 jobs and $4.4B economic impact from stadium and training.
Wyandotte County will now be the Kansas City Chiefs’ newest home, Kansas legislators decided Monday.
After a meeting of the state’s Legislative Coordinating Council, lawmakers approved a sales tax and revenue, or STAR, bond agreement that would help finance a new, $3 billion Chiefs stadium in Wyandotte County and a training facility in Olathe.
And it sounds like the Chiefs are welcoming their move to Kansas and readying for a 2031 season in the Dotte. The bond district would sit near Interstate 70 and Interstate 435, out in western Wyandotte, according to the bond agreement.
“It will be a world-class facility, the envy of professional sports,” Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday. “It will be surrounded by an entertainment district to beat all entertainment districts, hotels and restaurants and bars and more.”
Before the LCC vote, the Chiefs informed officials that they would announce their plan to move westward if lawmakers approved the proposal. Gov. Laura Kelly formally announced that Wyandotte would be the destination of choice during a 3 p.m. briefing.
But plenty needs to happen before the Chiefs can officially make Kansas City, Kansas, its hometown.
“This is only the first step,” KCK Mayor Christal Watson told The Star after the announcement. She was among a group of local public officials who attended. “And I need to make sure the community understands that.”
Ultimately, how smooth that move will be is between the team and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK. Any future development agreement, zoning changes or conditions of a land purchase would need to be approved by county commissioners.
Now, Watson and the Unified Government Board of Commissioners will review the offer, get needed documentation from the state and begin the process of negotiations. Watson, who was officially sworn in to lead Wyandotte last Monday, welcomed the Chiefs and Hunt family to Kansas during a speech that followed Kelly’s announcement.
Numerous questions about how this offer happened and how it will work remain. It’s not entirely clear when the county became a serious contender and whether that was a state-level decision or a partial push from the Unified Government.
Given that local officials will have to greenlight the project, whether they solicit public input beforehand will affect the atmosphere around any future decision-making.
And, what is Wyandotte getting and giving? Besides bragging rights and shorter commutes on game day, what will the county get out of the deal?
Well, according to the state, the new stadium in KCK and the training facility in Olathe will create more than 20,000 jobs and $4.4 billion in economic impact statewide.
Watson said her priority will be securing a deal that benefits all Wyandotte residents.
“We’re going to continue to have those conversations knowing we must put Wyandotte County residents first and foremost,” she said.
Local opportunities
Rep. Pam Curtis, who represents a portion of downtown KCK along the state line, said she was excited by the prospect of the Chiefs moving into the city. She recognized the team could be in high demand elsewhere, even outside the metro, so Curtis said she’d be grateful if they decided to stay in the area.
Well before the LCC meeting began, the room was already buzzing with chatter that the stadium could be built in Wyandotte.
Curtis said KCK, which brings a history of successful STAR bond projects, is poised to handle this project and turn it into economic success for the surrounding county.
As a staunch advocate for improved infrastructure in Wyandotte, Curtis said she hopes financial gain that a new stadium could bring to the area would be directed toward investing in the city’s infrastructure.
KCK roads, particularly parts of Parallel Parkway, have been a nuisance to local drivers. And several bi-state-owned bridges connecting KCK with other parts of the metro have been long-closed.
Rep. Lynn Melton, who also represents KCK, said ahead of the announcement that she hoped the new stadium would generate enough sales tax revenues to help residents across Wyandotte County see some relief on their property tax bills in the years ahead.
Rumors flurrying
For the past week, rumors swirled throughout the metro about Monday being the day legislators would vote to lock down a STAR bond offer to lure the team over the state line.
The LCC’s vote came after more than a year of cross-boarder efforts to attract the Chiefs and Kansas City Royals after voters in Jackson County rejected the 3/8th-cent sales tax extension back in April 2024 that would’ve kept the Chiefs in town.
The meeting came just two hours before a “special announcement” that Gov. Laura Kelly planned ahead of time.
More than a year ago, Kelly signed a bill authorizing Kansas to pay up to 70% of the costs to build a new stadium using sales tax revenues generated at that site.
Wyandotte knows STAR bonds
Since the late 90s, Kansas has used STAR bonds as a key financing tool to bring in multiple tourism sites across the state.
The bonds are paid off using sales tax revenues generated by the development over the course of the bond’s lifetime. The success of paying off that STAR debt hinges on a development’s success over the course of the bond.
Wyandotte County is home to more STAR bond projects than anywhere else in the state. A stadium bond package, if it crosses the finish line, would add to that list.
The county has used STAR bond money to build out local projects, including the Kansas Speedway, Village West, Children’s Mercy Park and the U.S. Soccer Training facility.
The Unified Government plans to use STAR bond money to finance the Homefield project and American Royal’s relocation from the West Bottoms into KCK.
This story was originally published December 22, 2025 at 5:51 PM.
