Want to talk (downtown) baseball? Royals set Plexpod Westport Commons for first stop on listening tour

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.

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