LEAWOOD, Kan. — FOX4 has more reaction to the thought of a baseball stadium going in at 119th Street and Nall Avenue in Overland Park.
The old Sprint Campus, now known as Aspiria, is in Overland Park’s city limits. Just east of Nall, and north of that stated location, though, are Leawood’s city limits.
The Kansas City Royals wouldn’t comment on this FOX4 story Thursday or Friday.
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Back in March, though, Chairman and CEO John Sherman told reporters he did not envision his team playing at Kauffman Stadium in 2031. The lease for his team ends before their 2031 season begins.
Angela and Tony Bertocchini live more than ten minutes from 119th and Nall, but they don’t want a stadium going in at that intersection. Our first question for Angela late Friday afternoon was whether she was concerned the Royals were serious about that site.
“My first thought was, ‘No way.’ There’s just, logistically, it does not make sense,” Angela said.
“But then when I started hearing a little bit more, ‘Oh, this is a serious option they’re considering,’ I thought, ‘Oh wow. We better start speaking out against this as citizens of this area so close.’”
Angela said she thinks citizens of Leawood and Overland Park would potentially band together to try to fight a stadium development at 119th and Nall.
She says people move to those cities because of the ‘small community feel’ it has, being close to the grocery store and the ability to walk their children to school.
“I can’t imagine their thought would be, ‘Oh, I hope I’m right next door to a baseball stadium where thousands of fans can come pooling into my neighborhood,’” Angela said.
Late in May, FOX4 confirmed an affiliate of theirs bought the mortgage on the Aspiria campus. Republican State House Rep. Sean Tarwater says if the Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) Bond District’s drawn into Leawood, and that city wanted to give its increased sales tax revenue back to pay off the development, the city council would have to vote on it.
Friday, FOX4 also talked to Angela’s husband, Tony Bertocchini, as well.
“The community engagement needs to probably start very soon if they’re serious about moving the ball team to Overland Park,” Tony said Friday.
“You’ve got to have people that are going to be upset about the traffic impact, the impact to schools in the area. I think about the elementary school, the high school that are right across the street there.”
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Late in July, Leawood’s Strategic Communications Director Beth Breitenstein told FOX4 that Leawood strongly supports the sense of community pride the local sports teams bring to our region. Leawood leaders have not been willing to talk on camera about it, though.
“If a site in close proximity to Leawood is ultimately selected by the Royals, we look forward to engaging with the community on this opportunity,” the city statement goes on to say.
“Not yet,” Angela said when asked if she and her husband had reached out to the Leawood City Council.
“But I plan to.”
FOX4 has been able to talk on camera with Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog and his challenger, Faris Farassati, about this very issue.
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