{"id":2200110,"date":"2025-12-15T18:22:29","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T18:22:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2200110"},"modified":"2025-12-15T18:22:29","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T18:22:29","slug":"jcc-member-national-group-fret-as-royals-eye-aspiria","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/jcc-member-national-group-fret-as-royals-eye-aspiria\/","title":{"rendered":"JCC member, national group fret as Royals eye Aspiria"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"pelcro-embedded-paywall\">\n<p>A national group of Jewish Community Centers is urging the Royals and elected officials to consider other locations beyond a much-watched Overland Park site for a future ballpark.<\/p>\n<p>In a letter addressed to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Lt. Gov. David Toland, who also serves as the Secretary of Commerce and has been involved in state-level negotiations over a new stadium, the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/jcca.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">JCC Association of North America<\/a> pushed state officials and the team to \u201cpursue an alternative location for the stadium.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The letter goes on to say a stadium so close to the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park, often referred to as The J, \u201cwould be devastating\u201d and could \u201cdestabilize a thriving institution\u201d that has been at that site for four decades.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, the Aspiria campus \u2014 <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/johnsoncountypost.com\/2025\/06\/30\/royals-stadium-kansas-missouri-262799\/\">a 200-acre mixed-use campus near 119th Street and Nall Avenue<\/a> \u2014 is one of at least three sites the Royals are considering for a future baseball stadium.<\/p>\n<p>Aspiria directly neighbors The J. In fact, some of the parking structures for the office buildings originally built by Sprint decades ago still tower over parts of The J\u2019s complex.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/embed?pb=!1m18!1m12!1m3!1d6208.4423043788665!2d-94.65528802367385!3d38.918922445433076!2m3!1f0!2f0!3f0!3m2!1i1024!2i768!4f13.1!3m3!1m2!1s0x87c0ea225796a7b5%3A0x6669d18df8d834b4!2sThe%20J%20KC%20-%20Jewish%20Community%20Center!5e0!3m2!1sen!2sus!4v1765818505408!5m2!1sen!2sus\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>So far, officials with The J in Overland Park have declined the Post\u2019s request for comment and haven\u2019t spoken publicly about the issue recently.<\/p>\n<p>However, the <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/jcca.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">JCC Association of North America\u2019s<\/a> letter raises a new alarm about the potential impact a professional sports stadium might have on the community center and the surrounding area of Overland Park.<\/p>\n<p>Opposition in Overland Park, led most vocally by residents in subdivisions near the Aspiria site, has been growing in recent weeks.<\/p>\n<p>T-Mobile also confirmed last week that a Royals stadium at Aspiria would force the company, one of Overland Park\u2019s largest, <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/johnsoncountypost.com\/2025\/12\/09\/t-mobile-leaving-if-royals-overland-park-275610\/\">to look for a new home for its 3,500 employees<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>What does the JCC Association\u2019s Royals stadium letter say?<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_275875\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-275875\" style=\"width: 790px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4324.webp\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-275875\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Public art outside the White Theatre at the Jewish Community Center. Photo credit Kaylie McLaughlin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The JCC Association, based in New York City, represents more than 150 Jewish Community Centers across North America, including The J in Overland Park.<\/p>\n<p>The letter, signed by JCC Association Board Chair David Wax and President and CEO Barak Hermann, says the possibility of the Royals landing next door to The J \u201craised significant concerns\u201d for the association.<\/p>\n<p>Wax and Hermann say a new stadium there could \u201charm\u201d The J, citing a variety of issues, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>heavy construction that would likely take years to complete,<\/li>\n<li>traffic and parking issues<\/li>\n<li>environmental disruptions<\/li>\n<li>and long-term security risks.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cThe long-term impact of more than 80 home games annually would create sustained pressures on infrastructure, safety, security, and the JCC\u2019s ability to function,\u201d the letter reads. \u201cThe potential harm to the JCC\u2019s Overland Park campus and the communities it serves would be profound.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Today, the JCC in Overland Park has some 14,000 members and has thousands of unaffiliated visitors each year.<\/p>\n<p>The center has grown in the four decades it\u2019s called Overland Park home, and now includes sports fields, a childcare center, a K-12 Jewish day school, a senior center, a theater, wellness facilities and more amenities.<\/p>\n<p>The JCC Association letter said The J has become \u201ca vital hub of community life in Johnson County.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>\u201cI don\u2019t see how it would work\u201d<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_275880\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-275880\" style=\"width: 790px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4329.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-275880\" src=\"https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4329.webp\" alt=\"The Jewish Community Center in Overland Park is located near 115th Street and Nall Avenue.\" width=\"790\" height=\"526\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4329.webp 790w, https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4329-450x300.webp 450w, https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4329-714x475.webp 714w, https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4329-768x511.webp 768w, https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4329-150x100.webp 150w, https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4329-300x200.webp 300w, https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4329-696x463.webp 696w, https:\/\/images.johnsoncountypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/IMG_4329-631x420.webp 631w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\"\/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-275880\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sports courts at the Jewish Community Center. Photo credit Kaylie McLaughlin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Amanda Palan, who lives in Overland Park, has been a member of The J in Overland Park for nearly 20 years, along with her husband. Now, her whole family uses the campus.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe facility is amazing,\u201d she said. \u201cLiving nearby, it was sort of a no-brainer to become a member.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Palan is Jewish, but she said she knows of several members who come from a variety of other faith traditions and enjoy membership, too. She describes it as \u201ca convener of the community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She worries that a Royals stadium right next door or even nearby could ruin all of that and be \u201creally disruptive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe thought of families having to deal with not only the traffic, but the concerns about safety and disruption to programming is really concerning,\u201d Palan said. \u201cIn my opinion, as a person who goes to the J, it would be totally unmanageable for anyone who wants to take advantage of the community center.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>At the very least, she said she doesn\u2019t see how The J can continue to operate as it has and \u201cprovide the level of support and service to the community if there\u2019s a stadium next door.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey would have to move or the facility would have to be significantly scaled back; I don\u2019t see how it would work,\u201d Palan said.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keep reading:<\/strong> <a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/johnsoncountypost.com\/2025\/12\/08\/neighbors-aspiria-royals-overland-park-275423\/\">\u2018Please think twice\u2019 \u2014 Residents worry about Royals stadium in Overland Park<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\">\n!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod?\nn.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)};if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;\nn.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0';n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;\nt.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,\ndocument,'script','https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/fbevents.js?v=next');\n<\/script><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source johnsoncountypost.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A national group of Jewish Community Centers is urging the Royals and elected officials to consider other locations beyond a much-watched Overland Park site for a future ballpark. In a letter addressed to Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Lt. Gov. David Toland, who also serves as the Secretary of Commerce and has been involved in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2200111,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[344785,21987],"class_list":["post-2200110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-royalty","tag-blue-valley-area","tag-top"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/JCC-member-national-group-fret-as-Royals-eye-Aspiria.webp.webp","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2200110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2200110"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2200110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2200112,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2200110\/revisions\/2200112"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2200111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2200110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2200110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2200110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}