KC park as possible Royals stadium site? This Jackson County official is opposed

The chair of the Jackson County Legislature isn’t sold on Washington Square Park as a future home for the Royals.

DaRon McGee, Jackson County legislator for the 4th District, told The Star’s editorial board on Thursday that while he’s supportive of the Royals moving its ballpark to downtown Kansas City, he’s opposed to the proposed Washington Square Park site near Union Station.

Both the Chiefs and the Royals currently play at stadiums in the Truman Sports Complex, which is owned by Jackson County. Their leases expire at Truman in 2031, and both teams’ next steps have yet to be finalized as both Kansas and Missouri have put financial incentives on the table for stadium projects.

McGee said he suspects there is an appetite among many Jackson County legislators to figure something out for the Chiefs “fairly quickly.”

“I don’t think there’s an appetite to lose the Chiefs,” he said.

But McGee said the Royals are much more complicated because of the idea that they could move sites.

Downtown Royals stadium

Royals officials have presented a vision for downtown baseball, but Jackson County voters soundly rejected a sales tax in 2024 that would have helped fund a stadium in the East Crossroads. Other sites have emerged as possible contenders for the Royals, including North Kansas City and the Aspiria campus in Overland Park.

Kansas City officials, meanwhile, have pushed for a ballpark where Washington Square Park and a vacated Blue KC building now sit.

McGee said, speaking for himself, he’s personally not opposed to the Royals moving downtown, but, asked about the Washington Square Park — visible from The Star’s office windows — he said he is against it.

“This is environmental DaRon speaking: I believe as a person who loves urban areas, I believe in having green spaces in cities. It really broke my heart as somebody who used to run in Berkley Park — the park is not the park anymore,” he said.

The Berkley Riverfront area, north of downtown, was once mostly park space and empty land but is being transformed into a full-fledged neighborhood and entertainment area with hotels, apartments, retail, the KC Current stadium, a future streetcar extension and more.

“I get it, it’s great for commercial use,” McGee said. “I like the fact that I could’ve gone and walked my dog at Berkley Park, and there was nothing there. I enjoy having green spaces in urban areas. That being said, do I want to get rid of a green space at Washington Square Park? Probably not. That’s not my idea.”

Washington Square Park

The future of the Washington Square Park site remains unclear. The Kansas City Business Journal first reported that the former Blue KC property, vacated after the insurance company moved downtown earlier this year, is now owned by an affiliate of Crain Co., a Wichita-based development firm.

Voters overwhelmingly recalled Jackson County Executive Frank White on Sept. 30. Former Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes prepares to take over on an interim basis.

As county legislators are preparing to name a permanent replacement, McGee said he thinks there’s a path to keeping the Royals in Jackson County in partnership with the city and the state.

It’s also vitally important to get something done for the Chiefs within the next year, he said. McGee said he believes both teams would have to go before Jackson County voters to pass a tax for a stadium plan.