Downtown Baseball Stadium

[brooksidebadgers]

Fescoe is a Royals plant IMO. They are not going to Kansas. Chiefs will be in Western Wyandotte County.

[TheUrbanRoo]

Quinton Lucas statement:

After an initial version of this story ran, Lucas issued a statement:

'I am looking forward to rooting on the Boys in Blue on Opening Day this week in Kansas City’s Third District, and I look forward to taking my sons to baseball games in Kansas City for years to come — whether that is at a new downtown ballpark or the historic Kauffman Stadium.
While Kansas City remains unwavering in our support of the Kansas City Royals’ interest in moving baseball downtown, I am disappointed we — private and public actors alike — have thus far not been able to move exciting ideas, such as Washington Square Park, into a true development plan. I and my City Council colleagues have shared with the Royals a comprehensive proposal to help ensure the financial viability of the project, and we continue to make ourselves and city staff available to advance discussions. I hope to have more to share after speaking with team leadership at The K this week.'

https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/ ... tract.html

[brooksidebadgers]

How good does East Village sound right now?

[beautyfromashes]

So, the mayor isn't even talking with the Royals. Not a good sign. I'd say the best thing the mayor/city can do is get a local design firm to show exactly what a Washington Square Park stadium would look like. It would have to be awe-inspiring and well done. If people see it and get a vision it might get more attention from the team.

[brooksidebadgers]

So, the mayor isn't even talking with the Royals. Not a good sign. I'd say the best thing the mayor/city can do is get a local design firm to show exactly what a Washington Square Park stadium would look like. It would have to be awe-inspiring and well done. If people see it and get a vision it might get more attention from the team.

wish we had some of those

[beautyfromashes]

So, the mayor isn't even talking with the Royals. Not a good sign. I'd say the best thing the mayor/city can do is get a local design firm to show exactly what a Washington Square Park stadium would look like. It would have to be awe-inspiring and well done. If people see it and get a vision it might get more attention from the team.

wish we had some of those

Best sports design firms in the world. Put it all on the table.

[BrisbaneKC]

Quinton Lucas statement:

After an initial version of this story ran, Lucas issued a statement:

'I am looking forward to rooting on the Boys in Blue on Opening Day this week in Kansas City’s Third District, and I look forward to taking my sons to baseball games in Kansas City for years to come — whether that is at a new downtown ballpark or the historic Kauffman Stadium.
While Kansas City remains unwavering in our support of the Kansas City Royals’ interest in moving baseball downtown, I am disappointed we — private and public actors alike — have thus far not been able to move exciting ideas, such as Washington Square Park, into a true development plan. I and my City Council colleagues have shared with the Royals a comprehensive proposal to help ensure the financial viability of the project, and we continue to make ourselves and city staff available to advance discussions. I hope to have more to share after speaking with team leadership at The K this week.'

https://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/ ... tract.html

Washington Square Park doesn't achieve the stated goals from the outset, making the team more profitable and thus more competitive, they need real estate which they can control and generates revenue beyond gamedays. It is in short supply in that specific part of Downtown adjacent to the potential stadium. It sounds like Lucas is pushing more what he wants personally as opposed to the bigger picture. Increased attendance alone Downtown is not going to be enough achieve the team's objectives and its pretty clear as to why they are non-committal towards that location.

As far as Kansas goes, it all seems just as messy now from a site point of view at least. Are they wanting to force the owners out, Crossroads style? If the Sprint Campus is off the table and they are having to go further West or South into Johnson County then that turns a poor option into a dreadful one.

East Village is sitting right there for them but my feeling is the political leaders don't really care to push it and it won't come back. There is a huge risk now of a safe if unspectacular option being forgotten for a much more risky site somewhere in a far flung part of suburban Kansas.

[Cratedigger]

It sounds like Lucas is pushing more what he wants personally as opposed to the bigger picture.

What else is new

[KCPowercat]

So, the mayor isn't even talking with the Royals.

where did this come out?

[beautyfromashes]

So, the mayor isn't even talking with the Royals.

where did this come out?

Maybe, I read too much into it. But, usually when someone says, “we/I continue to make myself available” it means “I’d like to be talking but no one calls me back”.

[kboish]

News tonight reported that company that owns the Aspiria (sprint campus) put out a press release stating they are not in negotiation with the Royals for a stadium on their site

[kboish]

KSHB is reporting that Lucas said the city is offering $1.2 Billion in incentives to the royals to build downtown or renovate Kauffman

[KCPowercat]

KSHB is reporting that Lucas said the city is offering $1.2 Billion in incentives to the royals to build downtown or renovate Kauffman

https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/ka ... um-project

[beautyfromashes]

KSHB is reporting that Lucas said the city is offering $1.2 Billion in incentives to the royals to build downtown or renovate Kauffman

This is a shit show. Zero money should go to renovating Kaufman. Let it go to...wherever, before you do that.

[TheUrbanRoo]

I’m going to assume the renovate thing is in the same bin as the Aspiria bullshit where they just saying things to say them.

I mean who says “oh we can’t go to WSP because there’s not enough prime real estate for us to generate additional revenue…but actually we’re fine building up again at the desert island Kauffman! Lots of prime land there!”

[ericwyner]

Sprint campus not even being negotiated. Fresco is an idiot.

https://www.kshb.com/sports/aspiria-pou ... int-campus

isn't that a reequipment for sports/talk radio punditry?

[DColeKC]

At this point I wouldn't be shocked to hear about a "new location at Tiffany Springs".

Anything else rather than downtown is a lateral move for the Royals. We had it made, we had the perfect location and they screwed it up along with the save the crossroads ignorance. It's so clear that movement won't age well.

[FangKC]

There is plenty of development opportunity north of Washington Square Park for the Royals if they can acquire the parcels. I don't know how much property they need to develop to provide a funding stream for the team, but there's an opportunity to do so.

Some of the parcels might be difficult to acquire, but there are plenty that could be.

Downtown residential rental properties would likely demand higher rents than OP or NKC because of the streetcar and proximity to Hospital Hill medical centers, P&L, T-Mobile Center, Crown Center, Union Station, PAC, museums, theatre, Crossroads Arts, First Friday, and other attractions.

See below:

[beautyfromashes]

I'm hearing that the Royals ownership group is in some type of disarray. This is creating conflict in the direction the team is **trying** to move and is causing a stall in where they will go. Which makes sense because when Sherman purchased the team, he brought in a lot of people with connections to downtown. I'm surprised with hearing this that there haven't been more leaks on what exactly is happening in the choice of location. This is really the first time we have had such a large ownership group of a Kansas City sports franchise that I can remember. It can cause difficulty in direction and movement.

[TheUrbanRoo]

I'm hearing that the Royals ownership group is in some type of disarray. This is creating conflict in the direction the team is **trying** to move and is causing a stall in where they will go. Which makes sense because when Sherman purchased the team, he brought in a lot of people with connections to downtown. I'm surprised with hearing this that there haven't been more leaks on what exactly is happening in the choice of location. This is really the first time we have had such a large ownership group of a Kansas City sports franchise that I can remember. It can cause difficulty in direction and movement.

Yes. This is quite literally what Lucas warned about a month ago in the interview. He said he thinks most of the head-scratching leaks were coming from part-owners who have their own views and were leaking for themselves and being able to say "i'm part of the ownership" so people are forced to believe it.

Sherman has majority control, however. In the end that's all which really matters.