The long-running downtown ballpark saga appears to be coming to a conclusion – the Royals are moving to Crown Center.
The team made the announcement Wednesday morning at a “special event” featuring Mayor Quinton Lucas and Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe. Royals owner John Sherman announced a project that would place a new stadium as part of a redevelopment of Crown Center, just south of downtown Kansas City.
Phase one of the $3 billion project will cover 85 acres and include a new $1.9 billion ballpark and surrounding ballpark district. The city will contribute $600 million in funding, with previous reporting indicating that will largely come from tax-increment financing, which uses revenues from the project to pay back bonds. Additional money will come from the state of Missouri, using tax credits, with $2 billion in private financing.
The event featured renderings, although Sherman acknowledged they are “conceptual,” adding “There’s a lot of work to do.”
The Royals expect to break ground in 2027 with an opening expected by Opening Day of 2030.
“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,” John Sherman said in a statement. “Joining Hallmark with this project achieves both and extends the Hall family’s critical legacy of helping Kansas City grow.”
Crown Center is a shopping center and neighborhood developed in the late 60s by the Hall family, serving as the headquarters for Hallmark. The area currently features an indoor shopping area, an ice skating rink, the Kaleidoscope kids center, SeaLife aquarium, and Legoland Discovery Center. Hallmark Chair Don Hall Jr. says the company will move its headquarters to make room for the project. He asserts Crown Center currently has 9,000 parking spots. The Kansas City streetcar also runs through the development.
The Royals have been searching for a new home since 2022, when Sherman announced plans to move away from Kauffman Stadium. Voters rejected a proposal in 2024 that would have extended a 3/8 cent sales tax to pay for a ballpark at the site of the former Kansas City Star printing press in the Crossroads. This project will not require a public vote. The City Council approved a measure last week to begin negotiating a term sheet and lease agreement with the team.
The team considered sites in North Kansas City and Overland Park, but Wednesday’s event made clear that downtown was their preferred destination.
“We’re bringing baseball downtown,” said Sherman. “We’re bringing a second crown downtown.”
