The Kansas City Royals are no longer considering building a new stadium at the Aspiria campus in Overland Park.
That’s according to a statement issued by the team on Tuesday, first reported by Fox 4 and confirmed by the Post.
“As stated when the Aspiria mortgage was acquired, the investment was made to maintain the site as an option for a new Kansas City Royals stadium,” a Royals spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “After significant evaluation, we do not believe this site meets our criteria for a stadium.”
The statement goes on: “We continue to evaluate opportunities throughout the Kansas City metropolitan area to create a world-class ballpark district. As always, we hear and appreciate the input of our fans throughout the region. We remain hard at work toward the best solution for our team, fans, partners, and community.”
Royals missed STAR bond deadline in December
The announcement that the Royals are no longer considering the Johnson County site comes after the team missed a key deadline with Kansas legislative leaders at the end of last year.
The team had until Dec. 31 to submit a stadium proposal to the bipartisan Legislative Coordinating Council to be considered for a special STAR bond package similar to what the Chiefs received in a much-hyped announcement late last year.
Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins made it plain ahead of the current legislative session that the Royals’ chance to meet that deadline and secure a special STAR bond deal “had come and gone.”
Team bought mortgage at Aspiria last year
The prospect that the Royals could land at Aspiria, former home of the Sprint World Headquarters at 119th and Nall, grew more serious when the team confirmed last year that it had purchased the mortgage on the site through an unnamed affiliate.
That gave the team more potential control over Aspiria, which is still in the process of becoming a multi-use development centered around office and retail.
Wichita-based Occidental Management purchased the former Sprint campus in 2019, and later secured a $232.5 million loan from JP Morgan Chase to redevelop the site that it had renamed Aspiria.
Occidental has since secured extensions for the loan’s maturity date twice. In 2023, a ratings agency downgraded the Aspiria loan to a “loan of concern,” citing in part Occidental’s moves to work with JP Morgan to extend the loan’s maturity.
Stadium idea sparked concerns
In Overland Park, the possibility of a Major League Baseball stadium being built in the heart of suburbia created growing opposition late last year.
Homeowners in both Overland Park and Leawood voiced concerns about traffic, stadium noise and the impact a stadium would have on the surrounding area.
In early December, hundreds of people showed up to a town hall hosted at Leawood City Hall, many opposed to a stadium.
T-Mobile officials also confirmed that the telecommunications giant would be forced to move out of its offices at Aspiria if a new stadium were to be built there.
And a national association representing Jewish community centers also sent a letter to state officials, including Gov. Laura Kelly, warning a Royals stadium would have a “devastating” impact on The J in Overland Park.
In mid-December, the Post conducted an informal poll of readers about the prospects of a Royals stadium in Overland Park. More than 5,000 people responded, with more than 60% saying they did not want the team to build a new stadium at Aspiria.
This story was originally published by the Johnson County Post.
