The Kansas City Royals have held their first “listening session” to explain plans for a downtown baseball stadium and a nearby village of shops and restaurants.
The $2 billion stadium district would include $1 billion for the ballpark, and another $1 billion for an adjacent entertainment venue.
Questions were submitted on notecards, and screened. Audience members had to register before attending. That isn’t the best way to conduct a town hall, although that’s a quibble: By the time the plan goes to voters (if it goes to voters) there will be plenty of opportunity for the public to make its voice heard in ways the team can’t control.
We applaud the Royals’ decision to begin talking with the community about their plans. At the same time, important new questions and concerns about the downtown stadium remain unanswered. They must be addressed before voters give any consideration to tax dollars for the project.
Is the need real?
The Royals said the new stadium would cost $1 billion, which they said would be cheaper than renovating Kauffman Stadium. We’re skeptical.
In March 2022, Burns & McDonnell released its annual survey of conditions at the Royals’ current home. “In general, Kauffman Stadium and the immediate environs were observed to be in satisfactory condition,” the firm said.
“Minor physical deficiencies were observed … Such deficiencies are expected in such a large facility and typical of a high-use facility,” it continued. “Most deficiencies can be easily addressed by the Kansas City Royals through standard maintenance procedures.”
That hardly seems like a $1 billion disaster.
We’d like to hear more about this issue from the Jackson County Sports Authority. Voters should also know if the Chiefs believe they need $1 billion for repairs at Arrowhead Stadium, which is just as old as Kauffman and presumably has similar problems.
Tax breaks and subsidies
Royals owner John Sherman said “private capital” would pay to build the surrounding village, at an estimated cost of $1 billion. Voters should be careful: A village will likely require tax breaks and subsidies, including tax increment financing or TIFs, abatements and other developer goodies. Those incentives should be thoroughly understood before any vote.
One source close to the stadiums said the Royals should provide a “capital stack”: a list of where the money is coming from, and where it is going. We don’t have that yet.
Voters should also understand the real impact a stadium and new entertainment venue would have on the Power & Light District. Kansas City taxpayers are still paying on borrowing for that development, and its revenue would likely slump if a new baseball venue opens.
Attendance at other cities with new ballparks
