Nice to see not everybody is totally against the Crossroads site. I think the plan all along was to have the stadium activated at the street. Not sure how that would work in the isolated EV location where there never will be a true neighborhood surrounding it, but it would absolutely work in the CR location.Chris Stritzel wrote: ↑Thu Jan 11, 2024 10:18 am I’d be fine if they took the concept from the East Village Cherry Street elevation and applied it to the Grand facing side. I also hope that a Crossroads Ballpark blends classic design with modern. Not as modern as they wanted in East Village, but not old looking like Busch.
A new stadium combined with the 670 cap and interwoven into the Crossroads/Downtown urban fabric while also having its own towers etc could easily give KC a top three MLB park in the country. The stadium will be embedded and connected to all the different parts of downtown from Crown Center to the CBD. The stadium would be more visible from all of downtown and feel more like a true part of the downtown area.
And I know people say they don't care about the views, but the views from a ballpark there would be amazing from the seats and the concourses. You would see out over downtown's towers, the Barttle Pylons and PAC etc. The crossroads and crown center skylines and Liberty Memorial would be in your face from the concourse areas. I mean this would put KC on a totally different level off showing off its urban core.
There is just no way the EV location can remotely compare. This is why I think this is the one time where some destruction is well worth the end result for long term success.
KC could really do something special with that Crossroads location. Something far more than just tearing out a couple of blocks and dropping in a stadium, which is what every other city has done, even those with amazing downtown parks. As nice as Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Baltimore etc are, they won't compare to a stadium in KC at this location.
Before and after games, it will be natural for people to walk to and from Crown Center, Union Station, walk through the 670 park, over to the P&L or over to the NLBM, walk over to Main for the Streetcar etc. You are not going to have near that same activity at in greater downtown at EV. It will be more of a drive to the park and go home experience.
This location could be absolutely incredible. And I still think the EV would develop rather quickly once the stadium went to the Crossroads, but even if it didn't, it's just not worth missing out on creating such an immersive urban ballpark district just so you can easily cover up a bunch of parking lots. EV should be a backup plan and I personally hope it doesn't come to that.