KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Unified Government commissioners took a vote Thursday night on a STAR bond district, whose centerpiece would be a $3 billion domed stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The vote was 7-3 in favor of the STAR bonds district.
The Chiefs sent a statement after Thursday night's vote.
"We extend our appreciation to Mayor Christal Watson and the Wyandotte County Board of Commissioners for their support of the STAR bond initiative for the new Kansas City Chiefs stadium in Wyandotte County. We’re grateful for the process and remain very excited for the collaboration with Wyandotte County to build on this partnership."
The stadium will be built on a largely vacant lot at 126th and State Avenue.
The vote came after a Tuesday public hearing held by Unified Government commissioners.
Most of the Wyandotte County residents who spoke at the hearing were against the plan to issue STAR bonds to help pay for a new Chiefs stadium.
Among their objections were that residents already pay too much in taxes, money should fund programs for the homeless instead and several objected to giving money to the wealthy Hunt Family.
According to information from the Chiefs website, in addition to the new stadium, there will be "mixed-use development that could include sports, entertainment, dining, shopping, office, hotel and residential properties will be located in Wyandotte County and will open at the start of the 2031 NFL season."
The team also stated on its website that "based on State of Kansas estimations, the fixed-roof stadium project is slated to deliver more than 20,000 jobs and more than $4.4 billion in economic impact for Kansas during the construction phase alone. The overall project is expected to generate more than 3,500 jobs and more than $1 billion in economic impact annually."
The sale of STAR bonds and the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas will pay for 60% percent of the cost of the stadium.
The rest of the costs associated with the stadium will be privately funded, according to the statement on the team's website. According to a statement, the Hunt Family will pay $1 billion in additional development costs.
The Olathe City Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to approve a STAR bond district to help pay for a new headquarters and training facility for the Chiefs.
The site is located at College Boulevard and Ridgeview Road. The area would also include a mixed-use development.
Answering neighbors questions
“This process seems very strange. It's very unique,” said Todd LaSala, the contracted economic development attorney who represents the UG. He addressed some of the questions neighbors asked Tuesday's public hearing.
One of those questions was about community impact.
“There's a committee that is contemplated for about half of the community improvement fund,” he said. “The term sheet between the state and the team talks about five members on that committee, and one of our conditions would be that the UG have a member on that committee.”
Infrastructure was also a concern.
“We are very aware that a stadium landing in that location requires a lot of infrastructure,” LaSala said.
On Tuesday, a resident asked, “Who's paying for the maintenance costs?” The answer to that question came on Thursday.
“The state owns it. The state is the landlord, the team is the tenant, paying rent to the landlord, and that money gets pushed back into a repair and maintenance fund to be used to maintain and keep the stadium up over the years,” LaSala said.
He also explained who will pay for public safety.
“The Kansas City Chiefs are responsible for security within the stadium. Beyond that, we anticipate other public safety needs—fire, police, etc. That number, over a 25-year period, is pegged at $57 million,” LaSala said.
Many questions remained unanswered, and some neighbors left the meeting feeling frustrated with the outcome.
When asked what she would say to neighbors who felt “unheard,” KCK Mayor Christal Watson said it was a hard decision and that she hopes neighbors will "trust the decision."