{"id":2336032,"date":"2026-03-19T02:03:10","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T02:03:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2336032"},"modified":"2026-03-19T02:03:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T02:03:10","slug":"as-options-dwindle-for-new-royals-stadium-washington-square-park-remains","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/as-options-dwindle-for-new-royals-stadium-washington-square-park-remains\/","title":{"rendered":"As options dwindle for new Royals stadium, Washington Square Park remains"},"content":{"rendered":"

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KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County, including Independence. <\/i>Share your story idea with Tod<\/u><\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n

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With another Royals season on the horizon next week, the publicly discussed options for a new baseball stadium have narrowed to the point that Washington Square Park remains the last one standing.<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s fine with Jim Price.<\/p>\n

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As options dwindle for new Royals stadium, Washington Square Park remains<\/p>\n

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\u201cI don\u2019t have a problem with it,\u201d he said. \u201cMy only thing is access.\u201d<\/p>\n

Price and his family were headed through the park to the streetcar Wednesday afternoon, which he acknowledged would ease his biggest concern. But mostly, he\u2019s just excited for another Royals season.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe go three or four times a year, but we watch almost all of them on TV,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Price, a retired plumber, worked on a lot of the buildings that form the downtown skyline, which he\u2019d love to see from his seats at a future Royals game.<\/p>\n

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KSHB 41<\/p>\n<\/div>

Jim Price<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cWhat a great venue that would be,\u201d Price said. \u201cEven Western Auto would pay for that, if they were around anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, there\u2019s bad news for fans weary of the years-long stadium conversation; it remains on the back burner for now, even with dwindling options.<\/p>\n

The Kansas Legislature is currently working through the details of a plan that would land a new Chiefs stadium in Wyandotte County and a new team headquarters in Olathe.<\/p>\n

The boundaries of the proposed STAR Bonds district, from which roughly $2.5 billion would be extracted during the next 30 years to pay for the $4-billion overall development, were more contentious in WyCo than Olathe, but they also don\u2019t leave much, if any, room for the Royals.<\/p>\n

The Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, and the city of Olathe signed off on giving up certain future tax revenue for the Chiefs’ projects in February, leaving only a portion of southern Johnson County available for a possible Royals stadium development.<\/p>\n

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Al Miller\/KSHB<\/p>\n<\/div>

The view of downtown Kansas City, Missouri, from the northern edge of Washington Square Park.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But after pressure from neighbors and existing businesses, the team announced that it would not build at Aspiria<\/a>, even though the club took over the former Sprint Campus mortgage last spring.<\/p>\n

Technically, Kansas has until June 30 to engage in negotiations with the Royals, but Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins set a Dec. 31, 2025, deadline for negotiations. The Chiefs met it; the Royals didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Now, Hawkins\u2019 office said he has no plans nor any intention of calling the Legislative Coordinating Council into session again to hash out a deal with the Royals.<\/p>\n

That dynamic also has taken root north of the river<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Royals have explored a site in North Kansas City for a sprawling mixed-use district, but Clay County officials said they haven\u2019t had any contact with the team since late last year, and there\u2019s no plan to put a countywide sales tax to a vote, a necessary step to fund the concept.<\/p>\n

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KSHB 41<\/p>\n<\/div>

Jim Price and family talk with KSHB 41’s Tod Palmer at Washington Square Park <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Washington Square Park has been discussed as a possible stadium site for several years now, but it\u2019s emerged in recent months as the city\u2019s preferred destination<\/a>, especially with Kansas and Clay County seemingly out of the running.<\/p>\n

There has been talk that movement toward a deal was possible before the Royals\u2019 home opener, but a new priority \u2014 convincing voters to extend to 1% earnings tax on April 7 \u2014 is Kansas City\u2019s priority at the moment.<\/p>\n

If the city and the Royals are going to reach a deal for a new stadium at Washington Square Park, it seems like mid-April would be the soonest it could happen.<\/p>\n

The site isn\u2019t without its challenges \u2014 including railroad tracks to the north, an underground creek that runs through the property and elevation changes \u2014 but it may be the best the Royals can hope for at this point.<\/p>\n

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\n \"Tod<\/a>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n