KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – The wait is over. Finally.
The Kansas City Royals are moving on from Kauffman Stadium, their home for more than five decades. The club will build a stadium and ballpark district in the area of Crown Center and Washington Square Park, just south of Kansas City’s Crossroads district.
The city has committed to contribute up to $600 million for the facility, and the State of Missouri has also pledged to fund up to 50 percent of the project.
How Did We Get Here?
In 2006, the Chiefs and Royals renovated their stadiums after Jackson County voters approved a three-eighths cent tax hike lasting 25 years. That will come to an end in 2031, as the teams are letting their lease expire at the Truman Sports Complex.
In November 2022, Royals owner John Sherman announced the team would move on from Kauffman Stadium after the club’s lease expires and would explore a new downtown stadium and ballpark district.
Kansas City Royals owner John Sherman spoke with the media ahead of the team’s Opening Day.(KCTV5)
After holding numerous public meetings for Kansas City residents to give their opinion on the asks surrounding a new stadium with partial public funding, the Royals, along with the Chiefs, had their sales tax extension put on the Jackson County ballot.
But in April 2024, Jackson County voters resoundingly voted against a sales tax extension to fund stadium projects for the Chiefs and Royals.
That opened the door for other regions to attract the professional sports franchises away from Jackson County, and from Missouri altogether. Namely, the state of Kansas.
After months of final announcement extensions and meetings with lawmakers on both sides of the state line, the Chiefs declared their intentions to move to Kansas in December 2025.
Sherman and the Royals, meanwhile, continued to leave the door open to staying in Kansas City, Missouri, but also named North Kansas City and Overland Park as a possibility.
On Jan. 27, 2026, the Royals dropped the Overland Park stadium idea. The next day, they missed the deadline to commit to a formal proposal in Clay County.
FILE — Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas sits down with KCTV5 for an interview about the city funding a Royals stadium.(KCTV5)
Just two weeks ago, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and other city leaders brought forward an ordinance to negotiate a downtown stadium district in the area of Washington Square Park and Crown Center.
On April 14, Kansas City unveiled a plan for up to $600 million in city-backed funding for a $1.9 billion stadium and surrounding district.
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