Kansas City Royals say site selection for new ballpark won’t happen by month’s end
After targeting the end of September for deciding on a location for their proposed $2 billion-plus major-league ballpark and surrounding entertainment district, the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday said they won’t meet that deadline.
The Royals, who are deliberating between an East Village site near downtown and a North Kansas City site in Clay County, say they are still planning to put an April 2024 funding measure on local ballots. The deadline for doing so is 10 weeks before an election, according to the Kansas City Election Board.
In this case, that deadline would be Jan. 23. The same law applies to Clay County.
This summer, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred visited Kansas City to talk about the importance of building a new stadium. He indicated that facilities like the one the Royals envision are a key part of remaining competitive in today’s game.
In a Wednesday news release, the Royals say discussions are ongoing with leaders from both Jackson and Clay counties.
Royals owner John Sherman has said the proposed project would be funded primarily through private investment but would also require a commitment of public funding through a taxpayer vote.
Last month the Royals shared renderings of a proposed stadium in each location. But details regarding estimated total costs, and exactly how that burden would be shared by the public at the city, state and county levels, remain unclear.
There’s also the question of how the Chiefs would be affected by a Royals relocation. The Chiefs and Royals currently share space at the Truman Sports Complex.
“There’s a number of factors in there,” Brooks Sherman, of no relation to team majority owner John Sherman, told The Star. “That brings in agreements with the elected leaders. When you think of that public-private partnership, that brings into play the public funding to go along with the private funding to know that we can finance it appropriately. The lease agreement plays right into that as well. ...
“And then we’ve got other partners and other constituents that we’re dealing with today, from the developers, from the Chiefs.”
As discussions continue, the Royals maintain that their aim is to move into a new stadium in time for 2028 season.
“It would be our desire to have a new location up and running opening day 2028,” Brooks Sherman said.
Here’s the complete text of the news release the club issued on Wednesday:
Our site evaluation process is moving thoughtfully and directly, including a regular cadence of focused meetings with respected and designated negotiators with both counties in discussions on our next lease.
We’ve been encouraged by the engagement of leaders in Jackson County and Clay County, with recent meetings furthering our progress in a meaningful way. Leaders in both counties know a critical piece of the evaluation process will be negotiated lease terms so that the Royals, our future partner, and most importantly the voters can know what to expect. With the framework of our current lease and willing partners on all sides, we are optimistic that the process will result in a win-win for the Royals and our next home.
Although we will not have a site selected by the end of this month, we are more confident than ever that a world-class ballpark and surrounding district for entertainment, retail and housing will build on our region’s momentum, serve our citizens well, and further establish Kansas City as a top tier destination for tourists.
Leaders in both Jackson County and Clay County know that we and the Chiefs need clarity on our stadium plans in time for the public to be fully informed for a vote in April 2024. We take our responsibilities very seriously to act in the best interests of both the Royals and our region, and we will continue our work to make sure this project is done right.
The Star’s Mike Hendricks contributed to this report.
This story was originally published September 20, 2023 at 10:21 AM.
