<\/p>\n
<\/p><\/div> Washington Square Park, 100 E. Pershing Rd. is a five-acre park located east of Union Station and north of Crown Center. The location is being discussed as a possible site for the Kansas City Royals downtown stadium. <\/p>\n Kansas City<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n <\/p>\n As Mayor Quinton Lucas prepared to unveil a massive funding plan<\/a> for a new Kansas City Royals downtown stadium on Thursday, he cast the proposal as \u201csitting in the bottom of the ninth with bases loaded.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By the afternoon, the city had put its offer on the table: $600 million towards a $1.9 billion project at Washington Square Park near the Crown Center and Union Station.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf you\u2019re somebody who lives in Kansas City, Missouri, I think the news that we have today should give you an incredible amount of confidence,\u201d Lucas told reporters inside City Hall.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He called it \u201cmaterial step,\u201d but several key elements were missing from the announcement \u2014 including the full financial picture.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n So far, it remains unclear exactly how much Missouri and Jackson County plan to contribute to a potential new stadium \u2014 or if Jackson County will contribute at all.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Perhaps more notably, the Royals themselves have also not publicly committed to the plan.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While Thursday\u2019s announcement marked a crucial step towards a baseball stadium near downtown, it also left open questions about additional funding \u2014 and a firm commitment from the Royals \u2014 for the nearly $2 billion project.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The stadium plan would still seek state financial support after a sweeping funding package<\/a> Missouri lawmakers approved last summer in an attempt to keep the team inside its lines. The law, called the \u201cShow-Me Sports Investment Act,\u201d<\/a> allows Missouri to pay for up to 50% of a new stadium for the team \u2014 but that doesn\u2019t mean it will simply raise its hand for half the costs.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe championed Thursday\u2019s announcement and said he was committed to working alongside Kansas City and the Royals to secure a stadium near downtown. But a spokesperson for the Republican governor, in a statement to The Star, left it uncertain how much that commitment will cost the state and its taxpayers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe do not have a specific number to share at this time,\u201d said Kehoe spokesperson Gabby Picard. \u201cA local funding commitment is a requirement to access state funds under the Show-Me Sports Investment Act, so this proposed ordinance is an important step in the process for the project to qualify for the program.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Under Missouri\u2019s stadium plan, the state cannot simply hand the Royals a blank check to build a stadium. The team has to prove to the Missouri Department of Economic Development that its stadium plan qualifies for the incentives program.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On its face, the project unveiled on Thursday appears to qualify. The incentives package sets a minimum project cost of $500 million and stadiums must have a seating capacity of more than 30,000.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Total state dollars cannot exceed 50% of total project costs, according to the legislation. The program benefit won\u2019t last longer than 30 years and contributions from local governments are also required. Under the bill, state incentives would be clawed back if a team relocates its stadium, headquarters or training facility outside Missouri.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n House Speaker Jonathan Patterson, a Lee\u2019s Summit Republican who helped steer the stadium package across the finish line last year, confirmed in an interview that Missouri\u2019s economic development department would have the final say over how much the state contributes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think that the legislation that we passed is there and that the team could count on it and it would be a very good foundation for a funding program that gets the stadium done and makes downtown baseball a reality,\u201d Patterson said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But Patterson, the top Republican in the Missouri House, was less certain about what that funding would look like \u2014 both at the state and city levels.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe funding, I\u2019m not completely sure about at the city level,\u201d Patterson said. \u201cI would assume that they have it pretty well planned out and looked at the numbers before they\u2019d make a public announcement like that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In addition to funds from Missouri\u2019s incentives package, Kansas City\u2019s plan also allows City Manager Mario Vasquez to apply for up to $50 million in state tax credits from the Missouri Development Finance Board. The plan does not lay out a process for securing those credits.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n In the previous plan for downtown baseball \u2014 a Royals move to the Crossroads District \u2014 Jackson County voters would have done the heaviest lifting. But they rejected that structure at the ballot box.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n How much will they contribute to a Washington Square Park project? Or will they contribute at all?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That\u2019s to be determined.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In a statement to The Star, Jackson County Executive Phil LeVota said he\u2019s been in \u201congoing conversations with the Royals and local leadership, including the Mayor.\u201d But there hasn\u2019t been any agreement on a number, or from what source any contribution might derive.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n LeVota, who has led the county\u2019s stadium conversations since voters recalled his predecessor, Frank White Jr., in September, said an identified location \u201cgives us a real opportunity to begin a more informed public conversation about what this means for our community.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He added that \u201cany proposal must be transparent, accountable and make sense for taxpayers. We\u2019re ready to be at the table and to make sure this is done the right way.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In April 2024, Jackson County residents sharply rejected a measure to devote a 3\/8th-cent sales tax toward Royals and Chiefs stadium proposals \u2014 which would have served as the primary funding mechanism for the projects.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThose in my district rejected it (overwhelmingly),\u201d said Jackson County Legislative Chair Manny Abarca, who represents the county\u2019s First District. \u201cBut it\u2019s not just my district. So I think as we talk about a path to fund millions of dollars from taxpayers, I expect Jackson County would have to justify to people in Oak Grove, Grain Valley and Blue Springs why it\u2019s putting money toward a stadium that\u2019s moving from the center of the county to the furthest point west.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Abarca, elected as the chair for the nine-member legislature in January, told The Star he would not support helping to fund the stadium absent a public vote.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a critical element,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That\u2019s undoubtedly part of the appeal of the city\u2019s proposal, which it publicized Thursday: It does not require a public vote.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While the proposed ordinance still needs to wind through the city\u2019s legislative process, Thursday\u2019s proposal marks the city\u2019s most significant step for downtown baseball. What\u2019s still unclear is whether the state, county and the team itself are fully on board.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals, for their part, touted the ordinance \u2014 adding that the team appreciated the work of city leaders \u2014 but they did not indicate whether they intended to accept the deal.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe are grateful for their engagement in this process, as well as for the critical work of the State of Missouri, and look forward to more detailed conversations as we consider solutions that are best for our team, our fans, and our community,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Will Jackson County contribute?<\/h2>\n