As other options drop off, it’s increasingly likely that the Kansas City Royals will stay in Kansas City, Missouri.
On Wednesday, the Clay County Commission said they pulled out of talks for an April ballot question over a Northland ballpark. Just two days before, the Royals officially scratched a much-discussed site on the old Sprint World Headquarters grounds in Overland Park.
For years, the Royals weighed building a new stadium on sparsely used industrial tracts in North Kansas City. But the team missed Clay County’s deadline to commit to a formal proposal in time for a public vote in April.
“The Royals elected not to accept the County’s proposal within that timeframe,” the Clay County Commission wrote in a statement. Clay County Commissioners also cast doubt on future talks.
“The County did not and will not engage in a bidding competition with other jurisdictions. Our focus remains on achieving fair, responsible, and mutually beneficial agreements for our residents and for any businesses seeking to invest in Clay County,” commissioners wrote.
This comes on the heels of Monday’s announcement striking the Overland Park site near 119th and Nall — which for months appeared to be the most likely option — off the list.
“After significant evaluation, we do not believe this site meets our criteria for a stadium,” said the Royals in a statement.
The Overland Park proposal had sparked opposition from adjacent homeowners, the nearby Jewish Community Center and T-Mobile, which has offices on the site.
Washington Square Park is one of the other main, broadly publicized possibilities. The park is surrounded on two sides by Crown Center, served by the streetcar, and an easy walk from Union Station or the Crossroads Arts District.
Unlike a proposal to tear down blocks of viable businesses in the Crossroads and build in the district, which voters rejected decisively two years ago, the Washington Square site would require clearing only an old insurance company office building.
There is at least one other site in Kansas City under discussion. A development group including restaurateur Ollie Gates, has renewed a push to build a stadium near the 18th and Vine Jazz district.
The team could also elect to stay at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals’ lease there runs through Jan. 31, 2031, and the team has options to extend that lease for up to 10 years.
