KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The owners of the former Kansas City Star printing press in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, have sent a new proposal to the Royals asking the team to consider relocating Kauffman Stadium next to their building at 16th and Oak streets.
Ambassador Hospitality’s proposal is called “Press Pavilion.” It transforms the KC Star building in the East Crossroads into an entertainment complex with an indoor golf arena, a Formula 1 arcade, a food hall, a movie theater, a jazz club and more.
It would add a tower on the south end of the building for a hotel, offices, spa, fitness center and more.
A rendering of the proposal shows the new Kauffman Stadium located directly east of the Press Pavilion, taking up about four square blocks from Oak to Cherry streets and Truman Road to 17th Street.
Tony Privitera, Ambassador Hospitality's co-owner, believes the plan would create a destination which would drive traffic downtown even when they Royals aren’t hosting a game across the street.
Jill Cockson owns Chartreuse Saloon, a bar east of the KC Star building. She opposes plans to tear down the building where her bar is located to make way for a new stadium.
“I’m a little disappointed to hear how just quickly they are willing to even consider just demolishing a huge historic portion of the Crossroads of Kansas City,” Cockson said.
The Royals told KSHB 41 News they are considering options around the KC Star building, but did not comment specifically on this proposal from Ambassador Hospitality. The team previously listed two other destinations for its relocation.
One option is the East Village, an area of mostly empty lots east of Kansas City’s city hall near 12th and Holmes streets.
The other location is in Clay County, specifically near a mostly empty lot near 18th Avenue and Fayette Street in North Kansas City.
The East Village and Press Pavilion locations are both in Jackson County.
Currently, there’s a 3/8-cent sales tax on retail sales within the county to help the Royals and Chiefs improve and maintain their existing stadiums in the county.
The county legislators are debating whether to ask voters to extend that tax for another 40 years to help the Royals build their new stadium in the county.
The Royals have expressed interest on having the voters decide whether to extend the tax during April’s election. The deadline to put a question on the ballot is Jan. 23 at 5 p.m.
On Thursday, a committee of county legislators held a public hearing about whether to require the Royals to agree to a community benefits agreement before putting the question on the ballot.
A community benefits agreement is a contract requiring the Royals to follow several stipulations if they receive tax dollars.
Those stipulations could include things like building affordable housing for every apartment unit they destroy to build a new stadium, pay stadium workers a livable wage, or hire union workers for the construction project.
“While the team may be called the Royals, this isn’t a monarchy, it’s supposed to be a democracy. Low wage workers know best what we need for our families,” said Kaamilya Hobbs, who once worked at Kauffman Stadium.
The county legislature meets Monday to continue discussions on the proposed sales tax extension after delaying a vote on the issue at last week's meeting.
County Executive Frank White missed Thursday’s meeting. His office confirmed he was meeting with representative from the Royals and Chiefs.
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