Change is coming to Kansas City.
After 50 years of playing in the iconic Kaufman Stadium, the Kansas City Royals have announced their intention to move to a new stadium.
in an open letterprincipal owner John Sherman updated the fan base on the team’s ongoing search for venues around Kansas City.
“We are now excited to share that we have several pilot sites under close consideration, both in and near downtown Kansas City,” Sherman said.
Sherman took up the idea of renovating Kauffman Stadium, but the stadium would need an extensive facelift that would cost much more than building a new football stadium.
Kaufman Stadium is the sixth oldest in MLB and underwent its most recent renovations in 2009.
The new project is estimated to cost $2 billion, and is the most expensive public-private development project in the city’s history. Sherman added that the new project would not increase taxes for Jackson County taxpayers and would generate $60 million in new tax revenue.
Besides the stadium itself, Sherman said that a “football field area” would be created that would give fans a “fresh” surrounding area.
“We envision local restaurants and shops, office space, hotels, and a variety of housing opportunities that are accessible to Kansas residents from all walks of life,” Sherman said, adding that new public transportation options will be created for the area.
The idea of surrounding a new stadium with a modern community is not new but has become increasingly popular in recent years with Truist Park at the Atlanta Braves and the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Field and the proposed New NYCFC Stadium In Willets Point, Queens.
Artist performances show off the stadium, which matches features taken from Kauffman Stadium including an overhang over the top of the grandstand, the famous outdoor water fountain, and a crown on top of the scoreboard relocated to left field. The high elevations can be seen outside with plenty of grass seating.
According to the open letter, construction of the new stadium will create 200,000 new jobs, $1.4 billion in labor income, and $2.8 billion in total economic output.
Kauffman Stadium along with GEHA Stadium at Arrowhead Stadium make up the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex. The complex is located about 8 miles southeast of downtown Kansas City, and public transit can take up to an hour to get to the stadium.
The Royals became the third major league team to actively search for a new home stadium after the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Times Oakland Athletics Both of them expressed their desire to leave the current old ballparks.
The football stadium and new development area around the stadium still has a long way to go before the Royals’ lease on Kauffman Stadium expires in 2030, including completion of the site, design, and approval from Jackson County and Missouri State.
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