The Kansas City Royals could be moving downtown in the next decade.
The team’s current lease at Kauffman Stadium ends in 2031 — the same time the Chiefs’ lease ends at Arrowhead Stadium at the Truman Sports Complex.
Owner John Sherman — who bought the Royals for $1 billion in Nov. 2019 — said this week that the franchise will “need to start thinking about our future plans for a stadium over the next five-to-10 years,” and said “one of those options is to play downtown baseball.”
Voters in Jackson County, where Kauffman is located, approved a 0.375% tax roughly 15 years ago for improvements to both stadiums in the Truman Complex, where $250 million in renovations were made.
Sherman said a new ballpark would likely entail a public-private partnership.
It’s not clear how much a downtown stadium would cost, but a few other teams have built stadiums in recent years.
- In a 50-50 split between the Texas Rangers and City of Arlington, Globe Life Field had a project cost of roughly $1.2 billion. It opened last year.
- SunTrust Park, now called Truist Park, was built for the Atlanta Braves in 2017 and has seen massive economic growth around the park with an entire entertainment district. The stadium cost $672 million.
Sherman emphasized that the decision needs to “have a positive impact on the quality of life for our citizens.”
