Downtown Baseball Stadium

[phuqueue]

The Royals are looking good so far. How do people think that will effect the new stadium?

I hate to be a downer, especially because I am enjoying this start as much as anybody, but I think it is way too early to draw any conclusions about how the season will go, which also makes it way too early to speculate on any effects on a follow-up stadium vote. On May 1, 2021, the Royals were 16-9, the best record in all of MLB, and on May 2 they lost the first of what would be eleven games in a row. They didn't permanently slip below .500 until June, but they still ended up finishing the season with 88 losses. If the Royals play well all year and make the playoffs, I have to think that helps them with voters (by how much? no idea), but that's such a huge "if" that 12 complete games and a 13th still in progress can't provide any meaningful information to resolve. If the Royals end up losing 88 games again, this hot start will be a distant memory by the time voters go back to the polls.

I already see two stupid excuses. "Sherman is only fielding a competitive team this year to get his toy stadium". Never mind that this is simply the result of a multi-year rebuilding effort. It's not like Sherman flipped a switch.

The Royals uncharacteristically splashing out on some reasonably high-profile free agents (certainly high-profile by the standards of the typical Royals free agent signing) a few months before asking the voters to build them a new stadium seemed pretty transparent to me, but sure. I don't necessarily believe guys like Wacha or Lugo would be on this team right now if not for the stadium vote, but it's impossible to say for sure. Granted, though, that their success so far does owe a lot to their home-grown players. The BWJ deal was a genuine surprise and represents the kind of deeper and longer commitment to investing in the team that we really haven't seen in the past thirty years.

[KCMOJoe89]

All that sounds nice, but that leaves the elephant in the room: the Federal Government.

Unless that vacate the building at 9th and Locust (eliminating their usage of the garage at 10th and Cherry) and they hire more security guards for the Bolling Federal Building, then the stadium is a non-starter.

There has only been speculation about Fed opposition to this site, and it hasn't been spoken by any public officials. Also, didn't the FAA sign a 10 year lease starting in 2025 in the Lightwell building? Are they still planning to make that their regional headquarters? Do the Feds have plans to fill the space being vacated at 9th and Locust?

I'm fine if we hear definitively that EV doesn't work for Federal reasons, but too far from entertainment and the streetcar are not valid excuses in my opinion.

[GRID]

In an interview on KCUR Tara Raghuveer said KCT wasn't necessarily against an East Village location. Also, you would think it would be in the Royals best interests if they're going to ask the city for incentives to replace that affordable housing. I'd even say they should replace and add additional affordable housing units, if not in EV than in Paseo West.

And in terms of infrastructure and redoing the east loop highway, the city and state should already have this on their priority list. It's been a bottleneck and will continue to be until it's addressed.

KCT was busy opposing the CR site at the time and will say things to help their cause. They were successful. They will be the same or worse with EV. There is no satisfying that group.

[KCMOJoe89]

In an interview on KCUR Tara Raghuveer said KCT wasn't necessarily against an East Village location. Also, you would think it would be in the Royals best interests if they're going to ask the city for incentives to replace that affordable housing. I'd even say they should replace and add additional affordable housing units, if not in EV than in Paseo West.

And in terms of infrastructure and redoing the east loop highway, the city and state should already have this on their priority list. It's been a bottleneck and will continue to be until it's addressed.

KCT was busy opposing the CR site at the time and will say things to help their cause. They were successful. They will be the same or worse with EV. There is no satisfying that group.

She made those comments after the vote. And there were many people who spent time opposing the Crossroads site...

[Anthony_Hugo98]

Do the Feds have plans to fill the space being vacated at 9th and Locust?

Not presently, and they’re still in the interim period of trying to figure that out, but a lot of consolidation has been happening across the metro. It sounds like the guards at that building though have been told they might not have a home in a year or a few though, so it’s anybody’s guess rn

[beautyfromashes]

I'm sure everyone is surprised, but I'm still down with North Loop!!! Move the 670 park donations to the plan re-establishing the street grid, build directly on the streetcar line and build the garages where the roadway is now before backfilling for buildings on the grid. Between two major highways so easy access for surburbies.

[Anthony_Hugo98]

I'm sure everyone is surprised, but I'm still down with North Loop!!! Move the 670 park donations to the plan re-establishing the street grid, build directly on the streetcar line and build the garages where the roadway is now before backfilling for buildings on the grid. Between two major highways so easy access for surburbies.

Honestly the most based. Let’s send it on this

[KCPowercat]

In an interview on KCUR Tara Raghuveer said KCT wasn't necessarily against an East Village location. Also, you would think it would be in the Royals best interests if they're going to ask the city for incentives to replace that affordable housing. I'd even say they should replace and add additional affordable housing units, if not in EV than in Paseo West.

And in terms of infrastructure and redoing the east loop highway, the city and state should already have this on their priority list. It's been a bottleneck and will continue to be until it's addressed.

KCT was busy opposing the CR site at the time and will say things to help their cause. They were successful. They will be the same or worse with EV. There is no satisfying that group.

Nor a need to kowtow to them.

[GRID]

I'm sure everyone is surprised, but I'm still down with North Loop!!! Move the 670 park donations to the plan re-establishing the street grid, build directly on the streetcar line and build the garages where the roadway is now before backfilling for buildings on the grid. Between two major highways so easy access for surburbies.

So what is in the way of that site? Just the flashcube building?

[WoodDraw]

What has KC Tenants supported? I would love to hear anything they've accomplished.

[WoodDraw]

East Village is worse than Crossroads because you’re evicting residents of two affordable housing buildings, need to vacate many more streets, and have to contend with the Feds. If you think KCTenants was pissed about crossroads, you should see them if East Village was brought up.

The feds being bitchy is just the feds being feds. By law they're supposed to operate in urban areas but they bitch and moan about it constantly. Even overseas, you should hear about the embassies.

If we listened to them downtown would be a big building surrounded by parking lots and a fence. Never take urban design tips from the feds.

The rest had mostly been really with.

[Chris Stritzel]

I'm sure everyone is surprised, but I'm still down with North Loop!!! Move the 670 park donations to the plan re-establishing the street grid, build directly on the streetcar line and build the garages where the roadway is now before backfilling for buildings on the grid. Between two major highways so easy access for surburbies.

So what is in the way of that site? Just the flashcube building?

And a condo building between Wyandotte and Central

[Chris Stritzel]

I’m not opposed to East Village. I’d like for the stadium to go there. I’ve said for a while now, but the issues with it make me think it’ll be a heavier lift than the Crossroads site. If the team, and city, can get something done, then do it.

[WoodDraw]

I’m not opposed to East Village. I’d like for the stadium to go there. I’ve said for a while now, but the issues with it make me think it’ll be a heavier lift than the Crossroads site. If the team, and city, can get something done, then do it.

Sorry, I didn't mean to go at you. I was just replying to respond to the fed complaints. I think it's been massively overstated.

For anyone that deals with modot or dot or EPA or any of the fun agencies, they basically hate you from the beginning. Or trains. Or the faa. Omg never fuck with trains.

[aknowledgeableperson]

The voters will not approve a downtown location no matter what. First off there will have to be a huge, likely long term, sales job to change the mind of local residents about downtown itself. If there will be a downtown stadium the city/team owners will have to find another way to get it done. The team will likely stay at the K for a few more years with an extended lease, or move to the Kansas side after the expiration of the current lease.
If the city/team owners insist on going to the voters again there will have to be a comprehensive plan to present to the voter. Plans for the K to be demolished and the Chiefs plans for TSC will have to be part of the plan. Where exactly downtown will the new baseball stadium be built along with any parking structures along with any associated development. How much are the teams kicking in? How much will the city be kicking in? How much will the state be kicking in? How will traffic be addressed, especially if there is a large crowd at T-Mobile? Could there be another corridor for another N/S streetcar line along with a nearby E/W streetcar line? I think the powers-to-be will have to dream big, and plan for more than just an isolated area around the stadium.

[ericwyner]

Head of the ATA in Star editorial calling for Chiefs to go to retractable roof stadium at Legends and new ballpark at TSC with streetcar connection.

with an entertainment district?

[aknowledgeableperson]

Omg never fuck with trains.

I worked in an office that dealt with right-of-way acquisitions and the agents dreaded getting ROW for construction projects by a railroad. It took months longer and more meetings than necessary to get the ROW from the railroad for a zoo project by the rail line going through the zoo.They definitely travel by the beat of a different drum.

[chingon]

My dream site remains the Manual Tech/ATA site: there's an entertainment district already built, that we already subsidize. It's investment on the east side, the Negro Leagues history is there, it would bridge the Crossroads to East Side gap, there's room to include parking structures in the plan, the land is easily attainable and the uses are largely poor, there's 2 highways and 2 6-lane roads converging there, not a single resident would be displaced, and it would be easily served by good transit with little outlay. How can no one see this?

[DColeKC]

My dream site remains the Manual Tech/ATA site: there's an entertainment district already built, that we already subsidize. It's investment on the east side, the Negro Leagues history is there, it would bridge the Crossroads to East Side gap, there's room to include parking structures in the plan, the land is easily attainable and the uses are largely poor, there's 2 highways and 2 6-lane roads converging there, not a single resident would be displaced, and it would be easily served by good transit with little outlay. How can no one see this?

From one glorious view of I70 to another glorious view of I70.

[moderne]

Bi-state on top of Baby Doe's. If they can put high end residential on top of mines at Briarcliff, they can sink piers below the mines to anchor a ball park.