Kansas City is considering giving public money to help expand the KC Current’s stadium.
The $1.4 billion development will expand CPKC Stadium, add a parking garage and more mixed-use development, and improve infrastructure.
Mayor Quinton Lucas introduced an ordinance to city council Thursday that could give the soccer team $235 million in bonds and more tax breaks through the creation of a tax increment financing, or TIF, district that is meant to help transform the Berkley Riverfront area.
The ordinance also directs City Manager Mario Vasquez to seek out additional tax credits or financing.
“This is not dipping on general revenues, that you're asking for less than what we see in almost any men's sports economic development deal — not just in the country but in our own region — suggests that I think this is an appropriate balance for how we can develop for the future,” Lucas said.
The ordinance should be heard by committee June 30. People can give public comments on the proposal over Zoom or in person at the Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee meeting at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday or by sending written testimony to public.testimony@kcmo.org.
The Current has always planned to expand the stadium, which opened in 2024. This expansion would take CPKC Stadium from its current 11,500 seats to 18,000. The project would also finish the construction of Current Landing, the mixed-use riverfront district.
In a statement, the Current said the team has invested over $350 million in Kansas City through the stadium and Current Landing.
“The Kansas City Current is proud to continue investing in the future of Kansas City and the continued growth of the riverfront,” the club said in a statement to KCUR. “As we look ahead, we are committed to raising the bar for women’s sports again. We appreciate the collaboration and leadership from community and civic partners and look forward to sharing more details as conversations with our civic partners continue.”
The first phase of the Current’s riverfront development was mostly privately funded, but it did receive a $5.5 million tax credit from Missouri’s Development Finance Board. That money went primarily toward infrastructure improvements. Lucas’ ordinance directs Vasquez to apply for more state tax credits for the new project.
The club added in a statement that Current Landing is “transformational” for the city and women’s sports.
Public investment in professional sports
This investment would continue the pattern of Kansas City giving public money to support a professional sports team’s stadium. In April, the city passed the beginnings of a financing package for a $1.9 billion Royals’ Crown Center ballpark. That ordinance directs Vasquez to apply for a TIF deal that would use new sales and earnings tax revenue from the area to pay off a $600 million city-backed bond to finance the project.
The funding package for the Royals was presented two years after voters soundly rejected a 3/8th-cent stadium sales tax extension in 2024. The tax has been in place since 2006 and helps maintain the stadiums at the Truman Sports Complex, which is owned by Jackson County. It will expire in 2031.
A majority of economists agree that stadiums do not deliver an economic boon to cities. Typically, any money made in a new stadium district isn’t new spending, it’s just moved to a new location.
The Royals deal, like what is being presented for the Current, was not up for a public vote. Outrage over public funding for sports teams hasn’t stopped, though.
About 4,500 people signed a petition to “place a citizens’ initiative on the ballot” that would give voters final say over the deal. Missouri Workers Power, a group representing low-wage workers, submitted the signatures earlier this month. If verified, the Kansas City Council would need to approve the measure to appear on the ballot.
At Thursday’s city council meeting, Lucas differentiated the Royals deal and the Current proposal. He said the money going to the Current in the bond and the TIF district will help enhance park land and trails along the mostly undeveloped Riverfront Park to the east — which has been largely neglected and was previously closed for two decades to clean up toxic waste — and connect it to the Berkley Riverfront Park.
Lucas also said the stadium expansion will help the city in its bid to be a host city for the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup, the 2031 Men’s Rugby World Cup and the 2033 Women’s Rugby World Cup.
“The Current expanding the facility really does allow it to be more versatile in terms of what they're looking to offer long term,” Lucas said. “We've seen real success in women's sports and I think that they can fill up with even more people more regularly.”
