The Royals' stadium deal just got its redemption arc
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What the view might look like. Image: Courtesy of Populous
The Royals have ended two years of stadium speculation with a new Crown Center plan, a sharp reset from the 2024 Crossroads push that taxpayers rejected.
Why it matters: The $3 billion plan, unveiled Wednesday, is the largest public-private partnership in Kansas City history.
- The Royals and private investors, including Hallmark, will fund up to two-thirds of the tab, rather than asking voters for a tax hike.
Driving the news: The new ballpark would sit on the current Hallmark headquarters site, with the company building new offices elsewhere in Crown Center.
- Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman said the stadium and surrounding mixed-use development would total more than $3 billion in phase one alone.
Inside the room: Cheers broke out at a celebration event Wednesday when Sherman declared, "The Kansas City Royals are staying in the state of Missouri."
- Hallmark Cards executive chairman Don Hall Jr., Gov. Mike Kehoe, Mayor Quinton Lucas, and Negro Leagues Baseball Museum president Bob Kendrick were beside him onstage.
- "When you believe in Kansas City, Kansas City believes back," Hall said.
- Sherman called the deal "an impossible dream" and thanked Hall for trusting him with a legacy family asset. "We're proud to bring our crown right back to the place it was created," Sherman said.
Flashback: The 2024 Crossroads plan revolved around taxing Jackson County residents.
- It was a curveball and a headscratcher. Tearing down the Star building and displacing 20 businesses on the backs of taxpayers seemed like the path of most resistance.
- And it was: the Royals and Chiefs spent $3 million on an ad campaign to win over voters, only to face organized resistance and defeat at the ballot box.
Between the lines: A stadium concept at Washington Square got more support from Crossroads businesses this time around.
Zoom in: The Crown Center plan includes 85 acres of development backed by $2 billion in private investment.
- The site would sit below street grade, rising just 30 feet above Gillham Road, so it wouldn't tower over the neighborhood.
- The Royals expect costs would be supplemented by city and state funding.
Reality check: This isn't a done deal. City and state officials still need to hammer out financing plans, and local leaders made it clear last week that they will get final say on a community benefits agreement.
- The Missouri Workers Center said in a statement that it opposes public financing for the stadium without a public vote and is "actively exploring all legal and political options."
What's next: Sherman said the Royals and Hallmark will develop a master plan for the district with input from neighbors, with groundbreaking targeted for 2027.