KCRag Forum

With just weeks to go until the new Hy-Vee Arena hosts its first pickleball tournament, lacquer is drying on the floor of the second-floor basketball and volleyball courts.

There’s still plenty left to do before the West Bottoms’ historic Kemper Arena reopens as Hy-Vee Arena, but vendors have signed on to lease most of the commercial space in the building. And construction crews have begun installing flooring on top of the bare cement in the concourses. The lower-level courts on the original floor of the arena aren’t as far along as the gleaming wood on the newly installed second level.

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The arena will host its first pickleball tournament starting Sept. 21, and it will open to the public Oct. 5 with a happy hour. Beth Omecene Epperson, marketing manager, said the arena staff was trying to get the event certified as the world’s largest happy hour.

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This mecca for amateur athletics is real, and it’s right here in Kansas City. The historic Kemper Arena received a $39 million makeover that included creating a second floor to accommodate a total of 12 basketball courts on 82,000 sq. ft. of hardwood; building a 350-meter indoor track; and opening up space for more than 40 vendors. The facility is now called the Hy-Vee Arena, and it celebrated its grand opening in October 2018.
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Local leaders planned to highlight the momentum with a celebration Tuesday morning at the new site, near the intersection of State Avenue and North 118th Street, just northwest of the Kansas Speedway.
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While the organization previously announced it would spend some $160 million for the new facility, the all-in price tag is now expected to range between $220 million and $250 million, McClaskey said. The organization will receive $80 million in Kansas sales tax revenue, or STAR, bonds, an incentive that redirects local and state sales taxes generated by a project to pay for development costs.

It will rely on private fundraising for the remaining $140 million to $170 million, she said. The Royal has already received commitments for about 25% of the money it needs to raise, McClaskey said, though she did not want to share exact figures. She said acquiring the land for the site will help with fundraising going forward.
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The Royal’s current lease with Kansas City for its West Bottoms complex limits it to a 14-week event season, McClaskey said. But the new complex will open up new possibilities. The organization’s roots are in its rodeos, livestock and equine events, though it’s probably best known now for the annual American Royal World Series of Barbecue, which in 2016 moved to the Kansas Speedway. The organization says it’s the world’s largest barbecue competition.

The new development plan includes more than 800,000 square feet of indoor event space, including barn and exposition areas, three performance arenas, one warm-up arena and more than 50,000 square feet of exhibit space. McClaskey said the group plans for a private developer to build a hotel and conference center on land adjoining the complex.

It will also include 2,400 parking spots and outdoor space that can host festivals or other events — an architectural rendering shows a Ferris wheel in the front parking lot to demonstrate that point.

McClaskey said construction should begin next summer with significant work completed by December 2021.
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flyingember wrote: ↑Thu Apr 02, 2020 9:09 am It's a great place.

The former American Royal complex is a convention center. It's Kemper, Hale Arena + Governors Building

There's also a large parking area for bringing in equipment and has multiple loading docks.