KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. Share your story idea with Tod.
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After nearly 3 1/2 years of speculation and handwringing, the Kansas City region finally got a definitive answer about where the Royals’ future lies.
The team announced Wednesday morning that the sprawling Hallmark headquarters, located roughly south of East 25th Street between Gillham Road and Grand Boulevard, will be razed to make way for a new downtown ballpark.
Washington Square Park had become the focus in recent weeks as the Kansas City, Missouri, City Council passed an ordinance authorizing City Manager Mario Vasquez to negotiate a lease agreement and term sheet for a new stadium.
Instead, the park is expected to become part of an 85-acre entertainment district, modeled in some ways after the Atlanta Braves’ Battery Park.
The exact boundaries of a TIF district, from which $600 million in new city tax revenue anticipated from the stadium and ancillary development in the Crown Center area will be drawn over the next 30 years, have yet to be approved.
But combined with roughly $400 million from the Show-Me Sports Investment Act, which will divert state taxes in the TIF district toward stadium financing, the plan calls for roughly one-third of the expected $3 billion redevelopment investment to come from public dollars.
The remaining $2 billion will be privately financed.
“The site itself comes from the bigger idea of wanting to make a difference for Kansas City to ensure that the core of Kansas City remains healthy and strong,” Vasquez said.
It’s been a long journey to Wednesday morning, but stakeholders cheered the final decision.
“I think it is transformative for the city,” City Councilman Kevin O’Neill said. “I am so excited to be a part of it.”
After initially naming East Village and North Kansas City as finalists for a future home, the Royals put forth a site in the Crossroads Arts District to a countywide vote, which was overwhelmingly rejected in April 2024.
There were also flirtations with Kansas, including the Aspiria campus in Overland Park, before Washington Square Park became the focus in recent months.
The Royals never publicly commented on the park site — an 11-acre plat that included the former Blue Cross Blue Shield headquarters — but obviously had set their sights on the general Crown Center area.
Royals legend George Brett is excited for the announcement.
“I’ve seen the effects of Camden Yards, what it had in Baltimore,” he said. “I’ve seen the effects of Cleveland, what it’s done when they built a new stadium. I think it’s going to be great for the city, and that’s the most important thing right now.”
Councilman Crispin Rea said he has faith that the city will manage the financing responsibly and touted the project’s transformative promise.
“Crown Center has been in need of some new energy for a while, and this is the opportunity to deliver that,” he said.
After temporarily relocating to nearby office space, Hallmark will build a new headquarters in the area. The Royals will also build a new team headquarters as part of the project, but a formal master plan has yet to be developed.
“It’s a great day for downtown,” said Bridgette Williams, the executive director of the Heavy Constructors Association of Greater Kansas City. “It’s going to help grow and expand the momentum and excitement of downtown Kansas City.”
People will still complain about parking and traffic, but city officials believe the Royals' decision will strengthen the spine of the city for generations to come.
“The biggest part of this is economic development,” Councilman Wes Rogers said. “Anything that’s going to bring millions of people downtown that otherwise wouldn't be downtown is a massive win for all of us.”
That’s not to say the club's current home won’t be missed.
“I’m going to miss Kauffman Stadium,” Brett said. “That’s where I spent 20 years of my life, 21 years of my life, but I’m looking forward to the new one. I really am.”
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