When the Kansas City Current first built their stadium, they did so without any funding from the city. Now, as they plan to expand their stadium and entertainment district, they want Kansas City to help pay for the project.
The Kansas City Council took a step toward doing so Thursday when it approved a $235 million funding package. The Current plan to add 6,500 more seats to their stadium, giving it a capacity of 18,000. They will also add a parking garage and more mixed-use development in the Current Landing district.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who championed the deal, said he supports the public funding because the Current have been an integral part of transforming the riverfront. He said the Current have built up a neighborhood along the riverfront, which used to be a landfill. The team also offered to guarantee the debt that the city takes on to ensure that the bond will continue to be paid off even if there are shortfalls.
“I think it's going to continue to help us build out the riverfront in Kansas City long term,” Lucas said. “It is impressive that you have a team that invested not only in women's sports, but in an area of the city that was underinvested largely, that they have seen this level of success and that they're continuing to see expansion long term.”
This deal is the latest in a series of large public funding packages for sports teams. In April, the city passed the beginnings of a deal to give the Royals $600 million for a $1.9 billion Crown Center ballpark. The city-backed deals have come after a wide majority of voters rejected a 3/8th-cent stadium sales tax for the Royals in 2024. That tax, which helps maintain the stadiums at the Truman Sports Complex, will expire in 2031.
Thursday’s ordinance would also give more tax breaks to the Current through the creation of a tax increment financing, or TIF, district. The TIF district could help the city pay off the $235 million bond by capturing new sales and earnings taxes in the Berkley Riverfront area.
The plan does not immediately approve the money for the KC Current. It instead directs City Manager Mario Vasquez to negotiate with the team to reach a final deal. It also instructs Vasquez to apply for state tax breaks for the project.
The Current have long planned to expand the stadium, which opened in 2024 as the first stadium built for women’s sports. The team said at Tuesday’s city council committee meeting that the $1.4 billion project is necessary because matches regularly sell out at the current 11,500-seat stadium.
The first phase of the team's riverfront development was mostly privately funded. The Current did receive a $5.5 million tax credit from Missouri’s Development Finance Board that went primarily toward infrastructure improvements.
In a statement, Angie and Chris Long, co-founders and co-owners of the Current, said the financing plan is an investment in Kansas City’s growth and “reflects this city’s ambition, inclusivity, and global momentum.”
“Today’s decision reflects Kansas City’s belief in bold ideas and transformational projects,” the Longs said in a statement. “We are proud to continue investing in Kansas City’s future and grateful for the partnership that makes this next chapter possible. The success of the Current and the Riverfront benefit our entire community, and we are honored to help create a lasting legacy for a city that has given so much to us.”
Economists agree that publicly funding stadiums does not give an economic benefit to cities. Most of the time, any money made in a new or renovated stadium isn’t new spending, it’s just moved to a new location.
City council response
Council members Johnathan Duncan and Nathan Willett were the only votes against the funding package. Duncan said he doesn’t believe the city should fund projects that would already happen without public investment.
“We continue to pass projects that are incentive projects across the street from incentive projects that continue to redirect valuable resources,” Duncan said. “We got to ask, what is the long-term fiscal responsibility for these incentives? When do the people of Kansas City realize the gains?”
Despite the city council’s approval of the funding, Duncan’s opposition sparked a wider conversation about how the city uses incentives. Council members pointed out that incentives like this are not equally spread across Kansas City and that fiscal benefits from the developments, if any, are only wrought decades later.
Council member Andrea Bough, who chairs the finance committee, said the city does not currently have data to look back on historical incentives and see whether they impact the city as a whole.
“We can't say how much economic development has provided in benefits to the city,” Bough said. “That is information that we need to have so that we can make an educated decision on projects moving forward. That's something I hope that we will have soon.”
