Washington Square Park. A cluster of lots in North Kansas City. The former Sprint Campus in Overland Park. Perhaps even the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority’s headquarters, just west of 18th Street and the Paseo.
In more than a year since Jackson County voters resoundingly rejected a sales tax to help finance a stadium in the Crossroads, the Kansas City Royals have pondered sites across the metro area.
Takeaways
- The Royals are considering several sites across the metro area for a new ballpark. Officials say they need the team to pick a site and provide a full funding plan before any proposals can move forward.
- Both Missouri and Kansas have proposed their own plans to fund part of the stadium, but they’ll be limited by how much tax revenue the stadium will actually generate. That leaves a big funding gap to be filled by both the team and local dollars.
- When the Crossroads proposal went to a public vote in April 2024, questions around funding and community benefits were unanswered. Leaders in Clay County and Jackson County are not eager to make that mistake again.
In the meantime, the Kansas Legislature passed a law that would allow STAR bonds to be used to help cover stadium expenses for the Royals and the Chiefs. But experts warn that the Kansas deal may not generate enough tax revenue to cover the 70% of stadium costs that the state is promising — particularly if both teams moved to Kansas.
The Missouri General Assembly, meanwhile, approved a state funding bill for Chiefs and Royals stadiums during its recent special session…