New Royals stadium footprint won’t be in Washington Square Park, councilman says
On the eve of a Royals downtown stadium announcement, a top Kansas City elected official has cast doubt on its most fundamental detail.
The exact location.
Johnathan Duncan, city councilman for the 6th District, told The Star the stadium footprint “that will be briefed tomorrow is not Washington Square Park.”
The city has notably been referring to the project location as a combination of Washington Square Park and neighboring Crown Center.
While the Royals have not publicly unveiled their vision for the area, Duncan’s suggestion would illustrate a remarkable shift in at least the public perception of the stadium plan. The City Council passed an ordinance Thursday authorizing City Manager Mario Vasquez to negotiate with the Royals a stadium deal up to $600 million.
The financial framework has occupied the conversation over the ensuing week, but Duncan said, “there’s a lack of clarity about the site.”
The Royals could provide that clarity during a planned Wednesday morning announcement at a Crown Center restaurant.
Asked if he expected the stadium footprint to sit in Crown Center instead of Washington Square Park, Duncan said: “I’m not quite sure exactly where it is.” Duncan said he was briefed about the situation by his “council colleagues,” adding that some council members were aware of the Royals’ plans while others were not.
It’s not yet clear what details the Royals will share in their announcement, scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday, but another council member told The Star he expects “minor” renderings. Those renderings could include more details about the precise location.
City officials first began touting a Washington Square Park location in 2024, and Vasquez told The Star last summer that his preference for a stadium would be at “the Washington Square Park site,” adding that underused parking lots in Crown Center could be developed as part of a ballpark entertainment district.
Kansas City’s ordinance refers to the team’s proposed stadium location as “the Washington Square Park/Crown Center area.”
Mayor Quinton Lucas told The Star this month the $1.9 billion stadium project also includes the former Blue Cross Blue Shield building, which just the northwest of the park. The Star’s office is located in the Crown Center complex, south of the park.
The city’s Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners — a five-member board appointed by Lucas — last week unanimously approved a resolution authorizing Vasquez to execute a lease agreement with the Royals to use Washington Square Park, which is owned by the city.
When asked on Tuesday whether the team’s stadium location was settled, Kevin O’Neill, who represents the 1st District, said, “I don’t know that yet, but I know the area has, and it’s that, you know, Crown Center/Washington Square Park area. So… not a lot of things change. All the, you know, the financing and everything is going to remain the same.”
O’Neill endorsed the stadium plan as having the potential to be “the most transformational project” he’d ever seen, but said he could not provide further details. He also said he thinks Royals majority owner John Sherman “loves this more than he’ll…ever admit.”
Sherman is scheduled to speak at the Royals’ announcement on Wednesday, along with Lucas and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe. The announcement is expected to center on a new stadium, and an invitation sent to city officials called the event a “Bring the Crown Downtown Ballpark Celebration.”
The city’s ordinance outline a funding package that includes bonds, city appropriations and Tax Increment Financing (TIF).
Duncan cautioned the announcement would not be the final step, emphasizing again that any development agreement and community benefits agreement would still require final approval from the City Council.
“We are moving hyper speed on something we don’t have all the facts on,” Duncan said, “which is just dangerous and reckless in my view.”
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 2:50 PM.
