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The announcement of the Kansas City Royals' new stadium location is generating excitement among neighbors and students near the proposed site.
Under the new plan, the $3 billion mixed-use ballpark district will be situated in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, at Crown Center at the current Hallmark corporate site.
The team is partnering with Hallmark Cards to develop the new baseball stadium.
"We’re super excited, we live right up the road," said Olivia, a UMKC student. "Our apartment actually looks over the area that they’re going to build the Royals stadium. We love the Royals. My father-in-law has season tickets, so we get to go quite a bit."
The new ballpark will sit directly behind Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, located on Gillham Road — diagonal from Longfellow Park and near the UMKC School of Medicine.
The Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph responded to the Royals' move Wednesday.
"We have been assured that care will be taken to maintain the character of the neighborhood, including the iconic features of Our Lady of Sorrows' building and its historic presence in the heart of downtown Kansas City," Bishop James Johnston said.
UMKC students said the news brings about mixed emotions.
“It sounds like it's going to be more traffic on some nights, but it's not too terrible," said Leo Wright, a UMKC student. "I think it would be kind of cool to see the stadium right here, have that kind of sports energy in the heart of the city."
RELATED | What’s next? Royals, Hallmark announce Crown Center baseball stadium development
With the new stadium comes concerns around parking and increased traffic, but some said the streetcar offers an easy solution.
"I think the renderings of the new stadium is going to look really good," Royals fan Del said. "People will be able to park their cars and take the streetcar the rest of the way."
Overall, fans believe the location will make Kansas City more attractive and increase tourism, comparing it to other cities with downtown stadiums.
“The view of the outfield is going to be iconic with the Western Auto sign in the background,” Olivia said.
KSHB 41 News has a team of reporters working to learn more about the Royals' stadium plan. To share your thoughts or questions with us, click here.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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