KCTV5 will live stream the Royals press conference at 2:30 p.m.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – The wait is over. Royals fans finally know where their team will play its home baseball games for decades to come.
The Kansas City Royals announced that the team will build a new stadium and ballpark district in the Crossroads District in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
The future stadium would incorporate the land of the former Kansas City Star building at 16th and McGee Street.
The announcement of the Crossroads locations comes after the Royals initially had initially settled on two locations: downtown’s East Village and North Kansas City.
How Did We Get Here?
In 2006, the Chiefs and Royals renovated their stadiums after Jackson County voters approved a three-eighths cent tax hike lasting 25 years. That will come to an end in 2031, and neither team has committed to future plans for their home stadiums.
Royals owner John Sherman had previously indicated that he envisions the Royals playing in a new stadium by the 2027 or 2028 season.
When he announced the intention to move from Kauffman Stadium more than a year ago, Sherman said construction of the ballpark and district was expected to cost around $2 billion. Those estimated figures have since increased.
A leaked document showed the project to build a downtown stadium and district could go for north of $6 billion. Those figures were quickly disputed and corrected, but the high-end estimate still showed the cost could peak at $5.13 billion.
In an early-January joint announcement with the Chiefs, the Royals declared they would remain in Jackson County and build a downtown stadium if taxpayers passed an extension to the 3/8-cent sales tax to fund stadium development and improvement.
The statement from the club added to speculation the team would explore the Crossroads District as a potential location for a stadium and ballpark district. Area business owners told KCTV5 they were worried established restaurants and bars would likely be demolished.
Not even three weeks later, Jackson County legislators overrode county executive Frank White’s veto on the stadium sales tax appearing on the April 2024 ballot. White, a Royals Hall of Famer, has maintained his stance that a number of issues remain unresolved, including where the team plans to build its new stadium.
The team’s final decision on the new location of their ballpark was already pushed back a few months from September, so time is of the essence for the franchise to break ground on the project.
However, the question of funding remains, and the deadline to get a public fund question on the April 2024 ballot is Jan 23.
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