Royals stadium plans up for discussion at City Hall. What we know about proposal
Kansas City officials were poised to debate plans for a new Kansas City Royals stadium in a pair of highly anticipated meetings on Tuesday that could shape the team’s future home.
The two meetings come just days after Mayor Quinton Lucas unveiled a proposal calling for a $1.9 billion stadium and surrounding district at Washington Square Park near Crown Center and Union Station. If approved, Kansas City would contribute roughly $600 million of the project’s funding.
First, the city’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee discussed the funding plan in the morning. That committee could vote to send the proposal to the full council, which is scheduled to meet at 2 p.m. Thursday.
Later in the day, the city’s Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners is slated to discuss the plan at 2 p.m. The plan requires approval from the board in order for the Royals to use the park. Lucas previously told The Star that the board would continue to own the property.
The five-member board is made up of volunteers appointed by Lucas. The board’s meetings are livestreamed on its YouTube page.
The Royals, including team president of real estate and development Brooks Sherman, were in attendance for the city’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee meeting — though they did not provide testimony in front of the committee.
But several did.
One by one, opponents and supporters of the Washington Square Park plan alternated two-minute public comments in front of the committee. The supporters included local business groups and organized labor unions. Members of progressive advocacy groups, including the Missouri Workers Center, KC Tenants and Stand Up KC expressed opposition.
A discussion among council members led to tweaks of the language in the ordinance.
What would the city ordinance do?
The proposed ordinance would allow the city to enter into negotiations with the Royals about its financing proposal for a new stadium in Washington Square Park near Crown Center, but it leaves a lot of details still up in the air.
It directs City Manager Mario Vasquez to do the following:
- Apply on behalf of the city to get state funding to support the stadium project.
- Negotiate and execute a term sheet, lease, development agreements and any other related agreements with the Royals on behalf of the city, and conduct public engagement related to drafting the lease and development agreements.
- Apply for a Tax Increment Financing plan.
- Authorize up to $250,000 for research and other pre-development expenses.
The city ordinance under consideration would not immediately fund the stadium project. The City Council would need to approve a funding agreement and a TIF plan at a later date.
Basics of the proposal
The city’s ordinance, presented with a slideshow by the city manager’s staff, proposes building a Major League Baseball stadium and office facilities, and improving infrastructure surrounding such development, in the “Washington Square Park/Crown Center area.”
The project would cost an estimated $1.9 billion, and the city would contribute $600 million.
The city would own the property, and it would be developed over the course of four years.
It would issue bonds directly or through a “conduit issuer” that would be backed by city revenue. The city would plan to pay the bonds back over the course of 30 years with the incremental revenue generated by the development and its surrounding “localized impact area.”
The City Council will have another opportunity to authorize the final project funding after the city conducts a feasibility study and after the project goes before the TIF commission.
Neither the Royals nor the state of Missouri have committed to the plan or pledged any official contributions yet.
Council members’ takes
During Tuesday’s finance committee meeting, 4th District-At-Large Councilmember Crispin Rea said he wants to ensure that the city’s contribution to a new stadium would only rely on new revenue generated by the development, not other funding sources that would dip into the city’s budget. He wants to make sure the city is not on the hook for more than that.
Second District Councilmember Wes Rogers said that if the city does this well, the stadium district “will change our city for a generation” by spurring more housing and infill development along the streetcar line.
“Let’s do something big,” Rogers said.
The city plans to conduct a third party independent analysis to project how much revenue the stadium district would generate to make sure it could cover the bond payments.
Several council members raised conditions they’d like to see in a community benefits agreement with the Royals as part of the development plan. 2nd District At-Large Councilmember Lindsey French said she’d want such an agreement to include opportunities for affordable and workforce housing, streetscape work and other investments beyond just benefits to the city’s parks system.
The two council members representing the city’s Third District, which includes much of the East Side and where the Truman Sports Complex is currently located, Melissa Robinson and Melissa Patterson Hazley, said they want any plans to consider the impact on the area stadium is departing.
Councilmember Nathan Willett, who represents the 1st District, was one of only three council members not listed as a co-sponsor of the ordinance, reiterated previous concerns he had with the proposal, including calling for a public vote on any stadium plan.
The Star’s Sam McDowell and Chris Higgins contributed reporting.
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 5:30 AM.
