Royals Announce New Ballpark in "The Heart of Downtown KC"

[Couch-Potato]

What do you guys think about the new ballpark?

ESPN:

Spoiler!

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Royals intend to build their new downtown ballpark blocks away from T-Mobile Center and the Power & Light District, scrapping two concepts elsewhere in the city for a location that puts the stadium closer to existing entertainment areas.

The Royals revealed plans for the $2 billion-plus ballpark project Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium, two days after the Kansas City Chiefs -- whose Arrowhead Stadium shares the Truman Complex with their existing ballpark -- won their third Super Bowl in the past five years, and one day before the city celebrates another Lombardi Trophy with a parade downtown.

"This is going to be awesome!!! Can't wait!" Chiefs quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes wrote on X in response to renderings of the new Royals ballpark.

The parade route Wednesday travels along Grand Avenue to Union Station, or directly past the location of the new ballpark.

"We're the second-smallest city with both an NFL franchise and Major League Baseball club," Royals owner John Sherman said, "and we want to sustain ourselves as a major league city. We want these franchises to thrive here for another 50 years."

The new ballpark -- located in "the heart of Kansas City," per an X post from the team -- will seat about 34,000 fans, or roughly 3,000 fewer than Kauffman Stadium, and the Royals are hopeful it would be ready for the 2028 season. The final design is still under development, but renderings shown Tuesday paid homage to the K's swooping roof lines and iconic center-field fountains.


"The ballpark will have a really great feeling of intimacy," Sherman said.

Kansas City started play at Municipal Stadium in 1969, then moved to Kauffman Stadium in 1973 and extensively renovated the current ballpark from 2009-12.

The Royals unveiled two other locations last fall, one on the eastern edge of downtown and the other across the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri. Both were met with tepid reaction from fans, many of whom still love Kauffman Stadium, and political infighting ensued over the extension of a sales tax in Jackson County, Missouri, to help pay for the ballpark.

The Royals' ownership group plans to invest more than $1 billion in private funding for the project, but some of the money will come from the 3/8-cent tax, which also will provide funding that the Chiefs plan to use to renovate Arrowhead Stadium.

"I know I'm biased here," Sherman said, "but between what the Chiefs can do out here with an expanded tailgate experience, and what we do down there, we will have two of the best pregame and postgame experiences in all of sports."

The Royals and Chiefs pushed to put the sales tax on the April 2 ballot, and Jackson County legislators initially approved the referendum, only to watch Jackson County executive Frank White -- a five-time All-Star and member of the Royals' Hall of Fame -- veto the measure. Last month, two legislators changed their vote and joined five others in overriding the veto.

That not only put the tax extension on the ballot, it put the onus on the Royals to reveal exactly what voters will be paying for.

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The new ballpark would be situated adjacent to Interstate 670, where the Kansas City Star's former printing press building sits largely vacant, and tie together several disparate neighborhoods into a more cohesive downtown environment.

Just to the north, where new parks would cover the interstate and allow for safe pedestrian traffic, sits Power & Light, the home to many existing bars and restaurants. To the south lies the Crossroads Art District, a trendy enclave anchored by the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. And to the east is the historic 18th & Vine neighborhood, home to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, the American Jazz Museum and iconic restaurants such as Arthur Bryant's Barbeque.

"The fact of the matter is, we've always been cognizant of this site. It never went away," said Earl Santee, the founder of the Kansas City-based sports architectural giant Populous. "We looked at other sites over time, and this is my 23rd major league ballpark site, and it's timing that leads you to the end, and this is the right timing for this site."

Santee compared the 17.3-acre site to downtown ballparks built in Denver, Pittsburgh and Minneapolis. There are about 20 property owners in the area and the Royals will need to negotiate with each of them to purchase their parcels of land.

"Development is happening in ways that are engaging," Santee said. "This will amplify the brand of Kansas City."

Indeed, the Royals hope the project continues what Sherman called "a golden era" for the former cowtown on the plains.

Over the past decade, Kansas City has hosted two World Series, baseball's All-Star Game and the NFL draft, while a $1.5 billion airport opened just over a year ago. The Kansas City Current of the National Women's Soccer League will open their new purpose-built stadium next month on the north edge of downtown, and Arrowhead Stadium was recently awarded six games -- including a quarterfinal match -- by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

"This is about a lot more than just a new home for the Royals," said Brooks Sherman, Royals president of business operations, who is unrelated to the team's owner. "This generational project is intended for something great."

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Ocotillo

The Royals will have their first uniform ad patch - QuikTrip will be the sponsor. https://t.co/m8uRAwjFwo

— Royals Review (@royalsreview) February 21, 2024

Well that is the most appropriate ad partner for the Royals I can think of.

[Fish]

QT logo on the official jersey? Are you ****ing serious?

Hard pass.

[Bearcat]

Originally Posted by Fish

QT logo on the official jersey? Are you ****ing serious?

Hard pass.

I saw a reddit post last night where you can purchase some insanely expensive Red Sox jersey for like $430 and it's an extra $20 if you want their advertising patch included.

[Discuss Thrower]

Couldn't even get a corp sponsor that uses a color scheme somewhere near what the Royals use huh?

[bdj23]

Originally Posted by Fish

QT logo on the official jersey? Are you ****ing serious?

Hard pass.

Thank god they did this. I almost forgot QT exists.

[bdj23]

Originally Posted by Bearcat

I saw a reddit post last night where you can purchase some insanely expensive Red Sox jersey for like $430 and it's an extra $20 if you want their advertising patch included.

I'm suprised they don't make you pay more to remove it.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by Mecca

It's not because it's a truth post the vast majority of people I see going off about it being a ****ing stupid thing to do are people who are in the "but parking" or "I like the K" or it's some not leaving the suburbs argument.

There is not remotely the same as the argument of I'm not a fan of public money for private profit or funding a billionaire's stadium, it seems a lot of people are fine funding a billionaires stadium if they have parking spots and it's in a suburb.

When you propose a 2 billion dollar project and announce it to the folks who you expect to fund it. That proposal makes no mention of parking for 20 to 40 thousand folks on any given day well that sounds like just another un accounted for expense. Parking is premium Downtown and the tennents already surrounding that area may pay in leases for a certain amount of parking for their business. So yeah parking is important and needs to be part of this plan. I would soon they found a way to pay for this on their own but I am not stupid as they will get their way or walk from the area.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by Fish

QT logo on the official jersey? Are you ****ing serious?

Hard pass.

Sherman is a whole clown

[penguinz]

Seems pretty obvious that Shermans plan is to flip the team into making himself a big chunk of money.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by penguinz

Seems pretty obvious that Shermans plan is to flip the team into making himself a big chunk of money.

With that stadium he can probably double what he spent for them.

[Eleazar]

[Shiver Me Timbers]

Originally Posted by penguinz

Seems pretty obvious that Shermans plan is to flip the team into making himself a big chunk of money.

I don't think so. He purchased the team for nostalgia. Him and his wife had their first date at a Royals game.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by Titty Meat

A little over a month til the vote & theres still no rendering from the Chiefs. MODOT still hasn't approved the cap for that side of the highway either.

It would be pretty stupid to vote for this as it's rushed and not clearly planned out.

I just don’t like giving losers anything nice. Wish we could move the royals to the tbones stadium until they have 3 consecutive seasons over .500

I would never live in Jackson county though so my opinion doesn’t matter

[Fish]

This ****ing team, man....

[comochiefsfan]

Idk if it’s worse, but the OKC Thunder have a giant “Love’s” patch on their jersey.

Tbf though Love’s are pretty nice as far as truck stops go.