‘It’s our turn’: Wyandotte residents excited but skeptical for Chiefs’ move west
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Wyandotte County won approval for a $3 billion domed stadium hosting the Chiefs.
- Stadium and training campus split across KCK near I-70/I-435 and Olathe.
- Residents celebrate but chiefly cite concerns about game-day traffic and noise.
Wyandotte County has a lot of feelings about the Kansas City Chiefs moving into town.
And in the neighborhoods surrounding where that recently-approved, $3 billion domed stadium is expected to be built, those feelings vary by the household.
Less than 24 hours after local, state and team officials announced Wyandotte County would be the Chiefs’ new home starting in the 2031 season, people living in western Kansas City, Kansas, told The Star they felt a sense of victory over snatching an NFL team and had concerns about game day traffic and noise.
According to the sales tax and revenue, or STAR bonds agreement, legislators approved Monday, the Chiefs will play games at a stadium to be built in KCK near Interstate 70 and Interstate 435, which encompasses the westernmost parts of the city. The deal approved Monday also includes a team headquarters and a training facility that will be built in Olathe.
Western Wyandotte County, in recent years, has seen a boost in developments and population. The area is home to the Legends outlet mall, the Kansas Speedway, Children’s Mercy Park, a Margaritaville hotel and more.
The Piper Unified School District, which serves families in parts of that area, had to pause outside enrollment last year after meeting its capacity during the summer months.
Out west
Amber Cousins has lived in her home near the Legends for three years, but she’s lived in the Kansas City area since the early 2000s.
Given her family members are hardcore Chiefs fans, she recognized her personal opinion about a new stadium might not be the most popular.
As exciting as the news is, Cousins said she’s a little concerned about what this decision will mean for traffic around her neighborhood and for her property tax bills.
She expects the Chiefs’ moving across state lines will boost her property values even more at a time when values have been naturally increasing due to the conditions in the real estate market.
With other developments sprouting up around her home, she’s already seen her bills go up notably.
“I never really thought they’d move, just because I think the current location is great,” Cousins told The Star.
Sean Trompeter has lived in western KCK since 1988. Sporting a Chiefs cap on his head and leaning on his red truck, which had a Chiefs license plate on it, he told The Star on Tuesday that he thinks the stadium move is “pretty cool.”
Trompeter said he doesn’t go to games as often as he once did, but that he hopes the stadium dome, if constructed, is retractable so people can still catch fresh air on game day.
Donald Smith lives just north of the Plaza at the Speedway. He’s a lifelong Wyandotte resident who said he’s just ready for Kansas’ time to shine.
“It’s about time,” he said on his porch Tuesday afternoon. It’s Missouri’s turn to cross state lines to catch a football game, he said.
Smith said he’s not worried about traffic or congestion, but he does want to know where the stadium will be specifically built. The area of I-70 and I-435 is large and encompasses a lot of land, so it’s not immediately clear exactly where it will be.
“It would be perfect for a growth area like this,” Smith said. “Like I said, I think we’re ready for this.”
Karon Cofield, who lives in Smith’s neighborhood, has lived in Wyandotte County for 29 years. She first heard about the Chiefs’ move when she was watching TV news on Monday and broadcasters interrupted whatever was being reported at that time to cut to the stadium announcement in Topeka.
Cofield said she is excited about the move, and she sees it as an opportunity to benefit the community and its local businesses. She hopes the community gets as good a deal as the Chiefs did.
“It’s our turn,” Cofield said. “I think it’ll be good. Good for the community.”
Cofield said she wants developers to set up the infrastructure to make transportation around the stadium as smooth as it can be.
“Hopefully that’s all taken into place as something that they’re looking at,” she said. “How we’re getting here to here.
Safety demands
David Churchill has lived in Wyandotte County for 13 years and has worked as a firefighter in KCK for just as long. Wherever the stadium is built will ultimately fall into his coverage area, meaning things could get a little crazy for him at work, he said.
He anticipates that the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department would have to hire more people to sufficiently address increased call volumes in that part of the city.
Although he thinks a new stadium would be great, Churchill is admittedly skeptical.
“I’ll believe it when it’s actually built, to be frank,” he said. “This county has a history of messing things up with businesses, so we’ll see.”
This story was originally published December 23, 2025 at 6:22 PM.
