KC Tenants opposes public funding for Royals stadium plan

Noting the possibility of higher rent prices displacing nearby residents, KC Tenants says it still opposes providing local tax dollars to help build a new Royals stadium.

The citywide tenant union said in a statement on Monday that the city’s offer of up to $600 million in bonds for a Major League Baseball stadium near downtown is a waste of tax dollars that could be used to improve the lives of city residents.

The group argues that the project would ultimately lead to higher housing costs.

“Across the country, stadium developments drive up rents, accelerate displacement, and reshape neighborhoods for wealthier residents and tourists,” the tenant union said in the statement.

The statement is the group’s first official communication opposing the ordinance that opens the door for a publicly funded stadium project near Union Station. However, KC Tenants Director Jenay Manley told The Star the group has opposed using public tax dollars for a new stadium for years.

“We are opposed to billionaires getting our tax dollars, using tax dollars, or our city being able to find creative ways to ensure that billionaires get to build ballparks,” Manley said. “Meanwhile, poor and working class people are forced to scrounge pennies.”

Last week’s City Council vote does not yet commit any funding to the project, except $250,000 for things like research. The ordinance mostly opens the door for negotiations between the city and the Royals on how much the city will provide to support a proposed $1.9 billion stadium project.

Supporters of the plan argue building a new stadium for the Royals in the city will help boost the local economy and increase tax revenues that will help the entire city.

But KC Tenants and other critics are skeptical that city residents would benefit. The group said communities that offer public funding for stadium developments “almost never have the return on investment that they predict.”

The tenant union also pointed to Jackson County voters rejecting a sales tax in 2024 that would have helped pay for a new Royals stadium in the Crossroads. The group said that was evidence that the public does not want to spend tax dollars on a ballpark.

Instead, the tenant union argues that the city should be focusing on creating more affordable housing and improving city infrastructure.

“Changing the funding mechanism does not change our stance: this deal is a bad one for the people of Kansas City,” the group said.

Councilmember Johnathan Duncan, who represents the 6th District and is a former leader of the tenant union, declined to comment on the group’s statement.

Duncan originally criticized the plan for risking the city’s funding for core services. But he later voted in favor of it after he added language ensuring that development agreements and community benefits agreements would come back to the council for review.

Duncan told The Star after the meeting that his vote to start negotiations does not mean he will support the final plan. He said the city and the Royals still need to sort out important details, and he wants to make sure everyone has a seat at the table.

He also said his support of the ordinance does not mean he won’t try to force a public vote on the final details either.

Manley told The Star that the tenant union supported Duncan’s changes to the ordinance.

“Councilman Duncan creating an ordinance that makes sure every piece of this comes back to the City Council to make a final vote is an important and necessary step to ensure that our voices are heard every step of the way,” Manley said.