KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The long run of the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City was thrown into query Tuesday night when residents of Jackson County, Missouri, resoundingly voted down a sales tax measure that may have helped to fund a recent downtown ballpark together with major renovations to Arrowhead Stadium.
Royals owner John Sherman and Chiefs president Mark Donovan acknowledged long before the ultimate tally that the initiative would fail.
Greater than 58 percent of voters ultimately rejected the plan, which might have replaced an existing three-eighths of a cent sales tax that has been paying for the maintenance of Truman Sports Complex — the house for greater than 50 years to Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadiums — with an analogous tax that may have been in place for the subsequent 40 years.
The Royals, who had pledged not less than $1 billion from ownership for his or her project, wanted to make use of their share of the tax revenue to assist fund a $2 billion-plus ballpark district.
The Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who had committed $300 million in private money, would have used their share as a part of an $800 million overhaul of Arrowhead Stadium.
“We’re deeply disenchanted as we’re steadfast in our belief that Jackson County is healthier with the Chiefs and the Royals,” said Sherman, who left without taking questions. “As someone whose roots run deep on this town, who has been a dedicated fan and season-ticket holder for each of those teams, and now leading a remarkable ownership group.”
Donovan said the Chiefs would do “what’s in one of the best interest of our fans and our organization as we move forward.”
That would mean many things: The Chiefs could try again with a reworked plan more agreeable to voters, change their entire funding approach to incorporate more private investment, or they may even hearken to offers from competing cities and states — comparable to Kansas, just across the state line to the west — that may provide the general public funding they desire.
“We’ve been talking lots in regards to the democratic process. We respect the method,” Donovan said. “We feel we put forth one of the best offer for Jackson County. We’re able to extend the longstanding partnership the teams have enjoyed with this county.”
The present lease lease at Truman Sports Complex lasts through Jan. 31, 2031.
And while Sherman has said the Royals wouldn’t play at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2030 season, the Chiefs are hopeful of remaining at Arrowhead Stadium.
The tax — or, more accurately, the stadium plans — received significant public pushback almost from the beginning, when the teams struggled to place concrete plans before voters and were accused of lacking transparency throughout the method.
Last fall, the Royals unveiled two potential locations for his or her ballpark district, one on the eastern fringe of downtown and the opposite across the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri.
But a self-imposed deadline to finalize their location lapsed with out a plan, and in February, they finally announced they’d scrapped each concepts and chosen a unique downtown spot.
The brand new area, often known as the Crossroads, has a vibrant arts and restaurant scene, and it’s just blocks away from the T-Mobile Center and the bustling Power & Light entertainment district.
It is also near the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the 18th & Vine district, which is home to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
But even then, plans remained vague.
The newest ballpark renderings were made obsolete just last week when the Royals acquiesced to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas’ request that a serious street that may have been a part of the stadium footprint remain open; Lucas didn’t endorse the tax initiative until the Royals agreed to the change.
“I believe everyone has the identical mixed feelings,” said Deidre Chasteen, a voter from Independence, Missouri, who remembers attending games downtown at old Municipal Stadium when the Royals played there from 1969-72.
“It’s not that we mind paying the three-eighths-cent sales tax. I believe the issue is putting the stadium where it’s,” Chasteen said. “We’re saying don’t break businesses which have been established down there for years.”
The club also had not reached sales agreements with many landowners within the Crossroads, and other businesses had expressed concerns about traffic, congestion and parking in an already thriving residential neighborhood.
Sarah Tourville, the Royals’ executive vp, said the goal was to maneuver into the stadium for opening day in 2028.
The Royals moved from Municipal Stadium to Kauffman Stadium in 1973 and extensively renovated the ballpark from 2009-12.
Arrowhead Stadium was built alongside Kauffman Stadium and in addition was renovated around the identical time.
While the Royals insist on playing in a recent ballpark, the Chiefs desired to stay put with a renovation that may have touched every aspect of their 52-year-old constructing, from the seating bowl to luxury amenities to the tailgating scene.
“We’d not be willing to sign a lease for an additional 25 years without the financing to properly renovate and reimagine the stadium,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt, whose father, Lamar Hunt, helped get the present stadiums built, said before Tuesday’s vote. “The financing puzzle could be very vital to us to be sure that we now have enough funds to do all the pieces we’ve outlined.”
The Chiefs had hoped their success, including three Super Bowl titles within the last five years, would sway voters of their favor.
“What my dad loved best in regards to the stadium was the connection the team had with our fanbase,” Hunt said. “He loved this constructing for what it means to the fans, and we still consider it’s among the finest stadiums within the National Football League and a bucket-list destination for fans across the NFL.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The long run of the Royals and Chiefs in Kansas City was thrown into query Tuesday night when residents of Jackson County, Missouri, resoundingly voted down a sales tax measure that may have helped to fund a recent downtown ballpark together with major renovations to Arrowhead Stadium.
Royals owner John Sherman and Chiefs president Mark Donovan acknowledged long before the ultimate tally that the initiative would fail.
Greater than 58 percent of voters ultimately rejected the plan, which might have replaced an existing three-eighths of a cent sales tax that has been paying for the maintenance of Truman Sports Complex — the house for greater than 50 years to Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadiums — with an analogous tax that may have been in place for the subsequent 40 years.
The Royals, who had pledged not less than $1 billion from ownership for his or her project, wanted to make use of their share of the tax revenue to assist fund a $2 billion-plus ballpark district.
The Super Bowl champion Chiefs, who had committed $300 million in private money, would have used their share as a part of an $800 million overhaul of Arrowhead Stadium.
“We’re deeply disenchanted as we’re steadfast in our belief that Jackson County is healthier with the Chiefs and the Royals,” said Sherman, who left without taking questions. “As someone whose roots run deep on this town, who has been a dedicated fan and season-ticket holder for each of those teams, and now leading a remarkable ownership group.”
Donovan said the Chiefs would do “what’s in one of the best interest of our fans and our organization as we move forward.”
That would mean many things: The Chiefs could try again with a reworked plan more agreeable to voters, change their entire funding approach to incorporate more private investment, or they may even hearken to offers from competing cities and states — comparable to Kansas, just across the state line to the west — that may provide the general public funding they desire.
“We’ve been talking lots in regards to the democratic process. We respect the method,” Donovan said. “We feel we put forth one of the best offer for Jackson County. We’re able to extend the longstanding partnership the teams have enjoyed with this county.”
The present lease lease at Truman Sports Complex lasts through Jan. 31, 2031.
And while Sherman has said the Royals wouldn’t play at Kauffman Stadium beyond the 2030 season, the Chiefs are hopeful of remaining at Arrowhead Stadium.
The tax — or, more accurately, the stadium plans — received significant public pushback almost from the beginning, when the teams struggled to place concrete plans before voters and were accused of lacking transparency throughout the method.
Last fall, the Royals unveiled two potential locations for his or her ballpark district, one on the eastern fringe of downtown and the opposite across the Missouri River in Clay County, Missouri.
But a self-imposed deadline to finalize their location lapsed with out a plan, and in February, they finally announced they’d scrapped each concepts and chosen a unique downtown spot.
The brand new area, often known as the Crossroads, has a vibrant arts and restaurant scene, and it’s just blocks away from the T-Mobile Center and the bustling Power & Light entertainment district.
It is also near the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts and the 18th & Vine district, which is home to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.
But even then, plans remained vague.
The newest ballpark renderings were made obsolete just last week when the Royals acquiesced to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas’ request that a serious street that may have been a part of the stadium footprint remain open; Lucas didn’t endorse the tax initiative until the Royals agreed to the change.
“I believe everyone has the identical mixed feelings,” said Deidre Chasteen, a voter from Independence, Missouri, who remembers attending games downtown at old Municipal Stadium when the Royals played there from 1969-72.
“It’s not that we mind paying the three-eighths-cent sales tax. I believe the issue is putting the stadium where it’s,” Chasteen said. “We’re saying don’t break businesses which have been established down there for years.”
The club also had not reached sales agreements with many landowners within the Crossroads, and other businesses had expressed concerns about traffic, congestion and parking in an already thriving residential neighborhood.
Sarah Tourville, the Royals’ executive vp, said the goal was to maneuver into the stadium for opening day in 2028.
The Royals moved from Municipal Stadium to Kauffman Stadium in 1973 and extensively renovated the ballpark from 2009-12.
Arrowhead Stadium was built alongside Kauffman Stadium and in addition was renovated around the identical time.
While the Royals insist on playing in a recent ballpark, the Chiefs desired to stay put with a renovation that may have touched every aspect of their 52-year-old constructing, from the seating bowl to luxury amenities to the tailgating scene.
“We’d not be willing to sign a lease for an additional 25 years without the financing to properly renovate and reimagine the stadium,” Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt, whose father, Lamar Hunt, helped get the present stadiums built, said before Tuesday’s vote. “The financing puzzle could be very vital to us to be sure that we now have enough funds to do all the pieces we’ve outlined.”
The Chiefs had hoped their success, including three Super Bowl titles within the last five years, would sway voters of their favor.
“What my dad loved best in regards to the stadium was the connection the team had with our fanbase,” Hunt said. “He loved this constructing for what it means to the fans, and we still consider it’s among the finest stadiums within the National Football League and a bucket-list destination for fans across the NFL.”
