The Royals have eliminated one proposed stadium site from the mix
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals rule out Aspiria campus site after evaluation, continue regional stadium search.
- Team studying downtown, Washington Square and North Kansas City options amid deadlines.
- State STAR-bond timeline and Chiefs’ Kansas plan shape financing and site urgency.
The Royals’ half-decade search for a new stadium location hasn’t yet settled on a destination.
But one prominently discussed option is out.
The Royals confirmed to The Star on Tuesday that they are no longer considering building a stadium at the Aspiria campus near 119th and Nall Avenue in Overland Park.
“After significant evaluation, we do not believe this site meets our criteria for a stadium,” the team said in a statement. “We continue to evaluate opportunities throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area to create a world-class ballpark district. As always, we hear and appreciate the input of our fans throughout the region. We remain hard at work toward the best solution for our team, fans, partners, and community.”
The Royals have continued to examine downtown baseball, the origin of their exploration, since Jackson County voters turned aside an April 2024 proposal that would have committed a 3/8th-cent sales tax to the project. Since that vote, they have studied the possibility of placing a stadium at Washington Square Park near Crown Center and east of Union Station.
They have also engaged in discussions with Clay County leadership about a North Kansas City location, though a county official there told The Star two weeks ago that it had given the Royals a deadline to commit to the Northland in order to appear on an April 2026 ballot, and that deadline lapsed earlier this month.
Last week, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and Interim Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota met with Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe for closed-door talks centered on a Royals stadium.
“Now, we’re talking (with) one unified voice,” LeVota told The Star after that meeting.
In response to the Royals’ eliminating the Aspiria from consideration, Lucas’ office said in a statement provided to The Star: “Nothing changes for Kansas City with today’s news. Kansas City will continue to work diligently and expeditiously with other public stakeholders, our community, and the team to ensure Kansas City remains the home of the Royals in a new transformational downtown facility that is a responsible investment for our taxpayers, our region, and our team.”
The Aspiria campus, formerly the Sprint Campus, had been in the conversation for more than a year, intensifying when a Royals affiliate purchased the site’s mortgage.
The suggestion of the site near the Jewish Community Center was met with considerable pushback, both from residents and nearby local leaders. The mayor of Leawood said he would not support the location.
The Royals did not say they are done exploring all options in Kansas, but the viability of that option became more difficult after Kansas gave the Chiefs and Royals a Dec. 31, 2025 deadline to use the STAR bonds tool to finance a move.
Ahead of that deadline, the Chiefs announced their intentions to use that mechanism for a planned move to Kansas in 2031. They announced Tuesday they have narrowed the design of their planned $3 billion stadium in Kansas to two local architectural firms: MANICA and Populous.
Kacen Bayless contributed to this report.
This story was originally published January 27, 2026 at 11:14 AM.