Kansas City Royals

El equipo llegó a un acuerdo con Hallmark Cards para llevar a cabo un “proyecto transformador" que creará un nuevo estadio de béisbol en Crown Center, cerca del centro de Kansas City, según anunció John Sherman, propietario de los Royals. El anuncio se produce una semana después de que el Concejo Municipal aprobara un paquete de financiamiento.

The $3 billion stadium development would be in close proximity to residential neighborhoods like Union Hill, Beacon Hill and Longfellow. Neighborhood leaders say their primary concerns include traffic congestion and fans taking up limited street parking.

The Kansas City Royals finally picked a spot for their new ballpark: Crown Center. While the financials have yet to be figured out, one architecture expert says that the initial design and location look good — with one exception.

Kansas City Council still has a lot of questions and financial details to work out before the new Royals stadium is a done deal. A ballpark at Crown Center brings the team back into the heart of the city — but some community advocates are criticizing the team's continued lack of transparency.

The Kansas City Royals are officially moving to Crown Center. But it remains unclear how much money Missouri taxpayers will contribute — Gov. Mike Kehoe said it will likely total hundreds of millions of dollars.

The team reached a deal with Hallmark Cards on a "transformative project" that will create a new ballpark at Crown Center near downtown Kansas City, Royals owner John Sherman said. The announcement comes a week after the City Council passed a financing package.

If everything goes right, new taxes generated by a $1.9 billion ballpark will help pay off Kansas City's $600 million loan to help finance the deal. But if it goes wrong, that public money could be drained from city services.

The city will now start to finalize the ballpark deal with the Royals, even though the team has not announced Washington Square Park as its preferred location. Kansas City would be on the hook for about $600 million of the $1.9 billion stadium.

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said the latest plan to pay for a downtown Royals stadium is different from the proposal rejected by voters two years ago. However, criticism is already mounting over the fact that the $600 million financing proposal won't not be subject to a public vote.

Kansas City Council introduced a plan to move the Royals to Washington Square Park — and it would not require a new citywide vote. Funds from the state of Missouri would also support the stadium's construction.

With the 1% earnings tax secured until at least 2031, Kansas City now looks ahead to negotiations with the Royals, looming bond measures for water and housing, and the possible referendum to eliminate Missouri’s income tax.

The Kansas City Royals play their first series at Kauffman Stadium of the year this week against the Minnesota Twins. Broadcasting from the ballpark ahead of Monday's game, KCUR's Up To Date was joined by Royals owner John Sherman to talk about the search for a new stadium, plus the team's head groundskeeper Trevor Vance and more guests.