Grandview city officials approved $43 million in tax incentives for a new soccer complex that is the only one of its kind in the country.
By next spring, 200 acres off 150 Highway in Grandview will be filled with soccer fields and new development for visiting players and families. It’s called the Gateway Soccer Complex.
“It is a combination of fields with the integration of homes, hotels, places for people to eat, grocery stores, places for people to stay,” explained Shane Hackett, the executive director of the Heartland Soccer Association and an investor in the project.
The Gateway Soccer Complex will partner with Scheel’s Overland Park complex and Swope Soccer Village to host thousands of players and tournaments every year.
Right now, the demand is high and more fields are needed.
“We have tournament now where we have to turn away over 100 teams because there's not enough quality fields to be able to play on,” Hackett said.
The project costs roughly $234 million. The developers are paying for about 80 percent and the city is offering $43 million in tax incentives. Mayor Leonard Jones believes the project is worth every penny.
“This is a pay-as-you-go. There is no annual appropriate from the city of Grandview, this is best project plan we could ever want,” Jones said. “This 200 acres is a very important 200 acres right off 150 Highway.”
Hackett is excited to be able to offer more opportunities for soccer players.
"It allows us to serve the Missouri side, and integrate the two together, Kansas and Missouri," he said.
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Lexi Sutter can be reached at lexi.sutter@kshb.com.
