Royals to host ‘special event’ on downtown stadium. Here’s what’s coming
The Kansas City Royals are poised to announce an update about the team’s future in Kansas City on Wednesday, a major decision widely expected to center on a stadium near downtown.
Royals Chairman and CEO John Sherman will speak at the “special event” along with Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas 10 a.m. at a Crown Center restaurant, according to a release from the team.
The announcement could mark the culmination of the team’s yearslong stadium search and is anticipated to focus on a new stadium, two officials scheduled to attend the press conference told The Star. An email invitation sent to city officials on Tuesday referenced a “Bring the Crown Downtown Ballpark Celebration.”
A stadium announcement would come just days after city officials passed an ordinance authorizing city manager Mario Vasquez to negotiate a deal worth up to $600 million towards a roughly $1.9 billion stadium in “the Washington Square Park/Crown Center area.”
In the wake of that vote, the financial framework of the deal has largely occupied the public conversation surrounding the stadium. But a top Kansas City official on Tuesday cast doubt on its most fundamental detail: the location of the stadium.
Council member Johnathan Duncan, who represents the 6th District, told The Star the stadium footprint that would be revealed “is not Washington Square Park.” Duncan’s revelation illustrated a remarkable shift in at least the public perception of the stadium plan, which largely centered around the park itself.
The Star will attend Wednesday’s announcement and will provide coverage from the event.
