Kansas City was supposed to take the first step Tuesday toward building and funding a downtown Royals stadium. Instead, a city council committee postponed the ordinances that critics said appeared to be getting fast-tracked.
The plan would give $20 million toward a downtown Royals ballpark and direct the city manager to finalize agreements with the Royals, developers and incentive agencies to build the stadium. It would also rezone the Crown Center area for a ballpark district.
Critics — including residents near Crown Center, workers and a city council member — said the plan was rushed and did not take their concerns seriously. Mayor Quinton Lucas said the ordinances were delayed because the plan wasn’t ready for consideration yet.
“I believe that even in representative democracy, i.e. going through city council meetings, you have a fair opportunity not just for our review, but for the public's review on that, which we're working on,” Lucas said about the agreements with the Royals. “I don't think that was possible today.”
Despite the delay, Lucas said the city plans to make quick progress on the estimated $1.9 billion downtown stadium. The City Plan Commission unanimously approved the rezoning request last week, two weeks before its original date.
Organizers with Missouri Workers Power and Stand Up KC turned in thousands of signatures in June to require a public vote on any local incentives for the ballpark. The petition process requires that city council members take action by the end of August.
Council member Johnathan Duncan said the rush to begin the development of a Crown Center ballpark is an attempt to circumvent a public vote. He told reporters that the city council received a legal briefing that said the city could be in the best position to finalize agreements before the deadline for the petition.
“The whole point of rushing these agreements is to ensure these agreements are finalized and signed prior to a vote of the people to circumvent the will of the people,” Duncan said. “I don't understand what the mayor is afraid of. I don't understand what the city manager is afraid of. But what is resulting right now is a rushed agreement and a deal that is not good.”
City council members received the detailed agreements late Monday night, which is part of the reason the ordinances were held at Tuesday’s meeting. Duncan said the agreements he saw were not equitable for the city.
'Maybe the biggest blank check that we've ever seen.\'
Dave Byrn is a longtime resident and vice president of the San Francisco Tower owners association. The building would be surrounded by the rezoning area, and Byrn said residents’ concerns haven’t been taken into consideration.
Byrn said the owners’ group wasn’t included in the development agreement. He said the Royals and city wouldn’t commit to mitigating light and sound in the area or to helping protect their building amenities.
“Part of the problem with this process is the city is being asked to write maybe the biggest blank check that we've ever seen,” Byrn said. “I don't necessarily mean that financially, although that could be true, but the reality is this plan, if it's approved, nobody has any idea what it's ultimately going to look like.”
In a post on X on Monday night, Lucas said he made the decision to hold the ordinances after meetings with groups including Missouri Workers Power.
I appreciated my chats today with many, including workers’ groups to discuss the stadium, corporate headquarters retention, and strong wages for our workforce. I expect more meetings and work ahead. I don’t expect Council action this week or next.
— Mayor Q (@QuintonLucasKC) August 11, 2026
Jaeda Roth is a service industry worker who organizes with Missouri Workers Power and is a petitioner for the Royals stadium ballot measure. Roth said she is glad she could make the groups’ stance clear to Lucas, but said the final decision should still rest with voters.
“Our decision makers can’t keep trying to rush this process without considering what we the people need, and without all of us having the final say when it comes to the question of how our tax dollars are spent,” Roth said. “It’s time for our city to put poor and working people first and address the cost-of-living crisis crushing all of us, not give our money to a billionaire for a ballpark he could pay for himself.”
The pair of ordinances will be heard at the council's next Finance Committee meeting, which won't be until Sept. 1. But Lucas said he could call a special session for next week to deal with this and other issues that have been delayed in their committees.
Residents can weigh in on the proposals by speaking in person at the next meeting or emailing the city clerk. People can also email their city council member with input, though that won’t be considered official public comment.
Duncan said that, despite the delay — which he supported so council members have more time to look over the agreements — he still has concerns about how this deal will impact the city’s finances. If the city made a deal that put it in a good economic position, Duncan believes voters would pass it overwhelmingly.
“We’re talking about redirecting revenue that would otherwise go to the general fund,” Duncan said. “We're looking at cutting programs because expenses are outpacing revenues. I want to keep the Royals. None of this has been transparent, and right now I can't say that this is a good deal for the city.”
