Want to talk (downtown) baseball? Royals set Plexpod Westport Commons for first stop on listening tour
December 7, 2022 | Startland News Staff
Less than a month after announcing the Royals’ intention to build a $2 billion downtown ballpark district — a vision that would see the Major League Baseball franchise leave its longtime home at Kauffman Stadium — the team’s leadership is opening a community dialogue on its future.
The move would boost economic growth for entrepreneurs, John Sherman, chairman and CEO of the Royals, shared previously, noting the potential for new shops, hotels, restaurants and affordable housing options downtown.
John Sherman, Kansas City Royals
A public community meeting is set for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13 at Plexpod Westport Commons, 300 E. 39th St., to discuss the Royals moving to a new home in or around downtown Kansas City.
The gathering is expected to include presentations from Royals executives and outside experts engaged on the project and a session for questions from the audience.
Click here to RSVP for the meeting, which is expected to be the first stop on an ongoing public listening tour.
In a Nov. 15 letter to the Kansas City community, Sherman shared his vision for the team to leave the Truman Sports Complex in less than a decade.
“When its current lease in Jackson County concludes at the end of this decade [in 2031], it will be 60 years old,” Sherman’s letter read. “The renovations required at The K [Kauffman Stadium] to achieve our objectives would cost as much or more than the price tag to develop a new ballpark.”
Rendering of a potential new downtown KCMO stadium for the Kansas City Royals, image courtesy of the Royals
With the price tag for the move and ballpark district projected to surpass $2 billion, the Royals plans would be contingent on continuing its public-private partnership and investment with multiple local jurisdictions and the state of Missouri, Sherman said.
The Royals intend to invest hundreds of millions of dollars directly into the project, according to previous reporting from KCUR, with Sherman saying the franchise will not ask Jackson County citizens to pay more tax dollars than what they already do in the current lease at Kauffman Stadium, which opened in 1973.
“The Royals look forward to seeking public input about how to best serve our residents and build on the momentum our city is experiencing,” the team said in a statement announcing the Dec. 14 meeting.
RELATED: Kansas Citian of the Year: Royals owner’s work echoes legacy of Ewing Kauffman
2022 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
This voter-approved investor backed Zhou B Arts, KD Academy and a new hotel at 18th and Vine; now it has a new home
EDCKC absorbing initiative built to strengthen KC’s urban core after $60M in investments A move to transition the Central City Economic Development (CCED) program under the umbrella of a larger KCMO impact agency is expected to boost the urban core-focused initiative’s ability to uplift both the people and the places at the heart of Kansas…
Hidden costs of grief: Chef’s murder illustrates economic toll of gun violence in KC
Editor’s note: This story was originally published by The Beacon, a member of the KC Media Collective, which also includes Startland News, KCUR 89.3, American Public Square, Kansas City PBS/Flatland, and Missouri Business Alert. Click here to read the original story from The Beacon, an online news outlet focused on local, in-depth journalism in the public interest.…
‘The American dream is the Midwest’: LaunchKC powers next generation of startup job creators
Editor’s note: The following is part of an ongoing feature series exploring impacts of initiatives within the Economic Development Corporation of Kansas City through a paid partnership with EDCKC. Relocating to Kansas City after winning a LaunchKC grant — and the community and infrastructure support that comes with it — gives Russel Karim’s startup a centralized…
Roz audits its path to $2.15M in early funding; how KC helped this AI startup scale its potential
A series of funding wins is boosting a Kansas City startup’s efforts to automate the most complex — and tedious — parts of compliance work, drawing from the co-founder’s own pain points and resources from a server-full of local entrepreneur support initiatives. With $2.15 million in funding under its belt so far, Olathe-based Roz — which…