KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kansas City and other agencies are exploring the possibility of building a baseball stadium downtown. A city spokesperson confirmed the city has contributed money to study the idea.
The spokesperson added the city routinely looks at long term planning ideas like housing, development, locations for corporate headquarters and stadiums.
He said this study is very preliminary and any potential groundbreaking would be years away.
The Downtown Council of Kansas City is spearheading the study. CEO Bill Dietrich released this statement:
“The Downtown Council engages in a wide range of studies exploring the possibilities for future developments and investments to enhance Downtown. We are always looking to ensure that we have current and relevant information regarding any future conversations involving major commercial, entertainment and cultural amenities.”
Possible locations for the stadium include areas north and east of the Sprint Center and empty space northeast of City Hall.
A Royals spokesman said the team did not bring up the idea, saying the Royals are happy at their current location in the Truman Sports Complex and are contractually obligated to stay there until the end of 2030.
Fans working and visiting downtown Kansas City had mixed opinions about the idea.
“40,000 people in here for a baseball game would create chaos. Luckily, I have parking down here, but a lot of people would struggle to find parking and parking fees would go up, I'm sure,” Jessica Ross said. “And you can't tailgate in a parking garage.”
Joe Haskins from Clinton said parking and traffic wouldn’t keep him from traveling to Kansas City for a baseball game downtown.
“There's going to be that issue anyway. It doesn't matter if the stadium is here or not. Parking will still be a nightmare so really what difference does that make?” he asked.
