KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals made it official Wednesday morning: baseball is poised to come to downtown Kansas City, Missouri.
The team will partner with Hallmark Cards to develop a new baseball stadium, surrounding mixed-use development, and a “reimagined” headquarters for both the Royals and Hallmark at Crown Center.
The proposal calls for more than $2 billion in private investment to build out the 85-acre development.
The team has called a news conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday to discuss more details of the plan. You can watch on KSHB 41 and in the video player below.
“Our founder Ewing Kauffman wanted the Royals to be Kansas City’s forever, and he wanted the team to benefit his hometown as much as possible,” Royals CEO and Chairman John Sherman said Wednesday. “Joining Hallmark with this project achieves both and extends the Hall family’s critical legacy of helping Kansas City grow.”
The development would be “funded primarily by the Royals and other private investors and supplemented by public funding from the City of Kansas City and Missouri’s Show-Me Sports Investment Act.”
“When the new Royals stadium opens at Crown Center, something proud will come full circle,” said Don Hall Jr., Hallmark Cards executive chairman of the Board of Directors. “The iconic Royals crown that Hallmark created will return to the very neighborhood where it was conceived. Every time a fan walks through the stadium doors, they’ll be standing in a place shaped by Kansas City and Hallmark’s creative spirit.”
Sherman and Hall will be joined at Wednesday's news conference by Kansas City, Missouri, Mayor Quinton Lucas and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe.
"Today's announcement reinforces that the State of Missouri is not just where the Kansas City Royals play, but where they belong," Kehoe said in a news release. "This decision by the Royals to invest in our state is more than just a commitment to Kansas City, it is a commitment to communities and fans across Missouri. I appreciate the partnership of the Royals organization, Hallmark, and state and local leaders in working together to make this project a reality."
Wednesday's announcement specifically mentioned the accessibility of the new stadium. The club says the plan would take it from the bottom of the MLB in walkability to inside the top 10. The club says that will lower costs to attend the game and give fans more options to get to the game and connect with the team.
Additionally, the club says the development would "enhance previous investments, including the KC Streetcar, and optimize ample parking within a 10-minute walk.
"The public-private partnership between Hallmark, the Royals, Kansas City and our state ensures we connect our neighborhoods, keeps our downtown vibrant, and maintains big league baseball in our city for generations to come," Lucas said Wednesday. "I look forward to decades of new, treasured experiences, thousands of jobs and vibrant small business growth and millions of visitors building the beating heart of our region — our downtown — while cheering on our Royals. Play ball!"
A Hallmark moment for Kansas City. pic.twitter.com/J5hNrozW02
— Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) April 22, 2026
Lucas also noted the project will deliver 20,000 construction jobs, support 1,000 union jobs on game days, and bring millions of visitors downtown for 81 home games and "hundreds of additional events" each year.
“The Royals are staying home, and they are building a new home at the center of our region’s culture, arts, vibrance, and entrepreneurial success," Lucas said. "This is the best in public-private partnership — funded by baseball and development, with no new tax increases, and with the kind of conservative fiscal management Kansas City families deserve. We are the visionaries of today, and we are changing Kansas City for the better.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
