Vizinhos de KC entusiasmados e cautelosos com a mudança de Royals para Crown Center

Royals officials announced Wednesday morning that the team intends to move to Crown Center, revealing the organization’s long-awaited stadium vision.

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In partnership with Hallmark Cards, and the use of both public and private funding, the plan would bring a Royals ballpark near downtown Kansas City. Royals Chairman and CEO John Sherman said in a press conference Wednesday that construction on the new stadium could begin in 2027.

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After the announcement about the proposed new stadium site, residents and businesses east and south of Crown Center told The Star they wonder what the future holds for their neighborhoods.

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Initial renderings show the stadium sitting just south of the ice terrace along Gillham Road as part of Crown Center’s 85-acre mixed-use shopping district.

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Hallmark’s Executive Chairman Don Hall Jr. said that the company’s headquarters will be moving to make room for the new stadium, but that it will remain in Crown Center. The move would allow Hallmark and the Royals to “grow together,” in what will be a new, vibrant district near downtown, Hall said.

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Sherman said the move will honor the legacy of the team’s founder Ewing Kauffman, who wanted the Royals “to be Kansas City’s forever.”

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“We have a shared vision for lifting up our community in a dynamic, energized urban setting that will elevate our city,” Sherman said.

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The total project, which has ballooned in price to an estimated $3 billion, would be funded primarily by the Royals and other private investors, and supplemented by funding from the city of Kansas City and Missouri’s Show-Me Sports Investment Act.

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How will new stadium impact nearby neighborhoods?

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The new stadium could change the makeup of nearby neighborhoods, like Longfellow. That neighborhood’s western edge, which features Longfellow Park and the Ronald McDonald House, sits directly across Gilham Road from the planned stadium site.

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Robb Traylor, president of the Longfellow Community Association, said the neighborhood is excited about the possible development opportunities the Royals’ stadium will bring to the area, like a proposed entertainment district.

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But some remain concerned about parking and traffic changes. Traylor said the neighborhood is pretty quiet and does not have a lot of parking available for an influx of people.

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“Street parking is somewhat of a premium,” Traylor said. “Not many of the folks here have parking lots or driveways where they would be able to put their cars, especially on game days or anytime there are any other events at the new location.”

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But if those changes come, Traylor said that’s part of living in a busy city.

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“Living in the urban core of any major metropolitan area, you’re going to see change,” Traylor said. “At the end of the day, this is probably going to be a good thing for the neighborhood.”

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Meanwhile, Cesar Beltran, a North Hyde Park resident, was enjoying Sheila Kemper Dietrich Park with his 2-year-old daughter just hours after the Royals announcement. He said he enjoys the residential and family-oriented environment in the neighborhoods around Crown Center and does not like the idea of a new baseball stadium changing that in the near future.

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“I’m not happy about it going there,” Beltran said.

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Beltran said he wishes the stadium was built farther north, closer to downtown Kansas City off of U.S. 71. He said there are plenty of surface-level parking lots in that area that could have served as a location for building a new stadium.

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In nearby Union Hill, residents told The Star they were excited by the prospect of a new stadium just down the street.

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Seth Kohlstaedt, who will live just a few minutes’ walk from the new stadium site, said he was excited by the initial word that the stadium would be in the Washington Square Park area and said the idea of revitalizing Crown Center was appealing.

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Kohlstaedt said he had some small concerns about parking and traffic in his neighborhood, but was otherwise psyched to be able to walk to Royals games.

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“The only downfall is having to walk back up the hill with some beers in you after the games,” he said with a laugh. “We’re pumped, tailgate in the garage, and walk down the hill and go to Royals games, it’s going to be great.”

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Union Hill was flooded with traffic during the Chappell Roan concerts on the lawn of the National World War I Museum and Memorial in October, and the neighborhood has been discussing how to handle what will likely be a similar influx of people heading to the World Cup Fan Festival, which will be set up at the same location this summer.

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With the Royals moving in, perhaps any traffic and parking changes implemented during the World Cup might become permanent, Union Hill resident Katie Campbell wondered.

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Campbell said she thought the stadium would be a good addition to the area and said she was excited to be able to walk to games.

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“I think everybody, at least here, is all about it because we live downtown for a reason,” she said. “We want to be close to everything.”

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Said Union Hill’s Casey Quintanilla: “I think it’s cool to have it downtown. You go to other big cities, and they have stadiums in the heart of their cities. I’ve always loved what we have (at the Truman Sports Complex), because the two stadiums are right by each other, I love the tailgating aspect of it, but to have a stadium in the heart of the city is going to be cool.”

Esta história foi publicada originalmente 22 de abril de 2026 às 13h42.

Nathan Pilling

A estrela de Kansas City

Nathan Pilling é repórter de notícias de última hora do The Kansas City Star. Anteriormente, ele trabalhou em redações no estado de Washington e Ohio e cresceu no leste de Iowa.