KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs haven’t taken any options off the table with respect to their future home.
Chiefs President Mark Donovan said the team’s preference remains to renovate the existing GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium during a press conference Friday in St. Joseph, where the team’s veterans are scheduled to report ahead of the first full practice Sunday.
But Donovan said building a new stadium on the current Truman Sports Complex grounds or building a new stadium somewhere else entirely remain on the table. He previously said the franchise is targeting 2031 for new environs one way or another.
“If everything plays out the way we think it’s going to play out, our preference for us is to upgrade and renovate the stadium at Arrowhead and make GEHA Field even better,” Donovan said.
Still, the Chiefs continue to explore options for a new stadium as part of their “due diligence.”
“It is a process — and a really important process,” Donovan said. “We’re still in the process, but we’re making progress.”
The Chiefs and Kansas City Royals, who have announced plans to leave the current Harry S. Truman Sports Complex for a new stadium in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, or in Clay County, have lease agreements at the current stadiums that run through January 2031.
The Royals have narrowed their search to a site in East Village on the eastern edge inside the Downtown Loop or a sprawling site in North Kansas City across the Missouri River from downtown.
“The partnership with the Royals has been great,” Donovan said. “It’s really critical to both of us that we have a good partnership as we go through the decision-making process.”
Should the Royals opt for the Clay County site, it would complicate things for the Chiefs, who would have to go it alone in asking Jackson County taxpayers to extend a 3/8-cent sales tax that helps pay for maintenance at the current Truman Sports Complex.
“We still are on plan to be ready for an April vote if that makes sense for us,” Donovan said. “If the Royals decide to stay in Jackson County, we’ve had discussions about how we do that together.”
The Chiefs also have mulled the possibility of going it alone.
“The reality is you’ve got to be prepared, be flexible and be able to pivot,” Donovan said. “That’s a big one.”
After the Royals leave their current location on the southwest corner of Interstate 70 at the Blue Ridge Cutoff, the Chiefs would have the option to build a new stadium on the site of a razed Kauffman Stadium.
Still, Donovan said the Chiefs like their current digs, which have been dubbed “The House that Lamar Hunt Built.”
“The good news is we think the building itself is structurally sound,” Donovan said. “... Having said that, it’s going to take a significant annual investment to keep that building structurally sound.”
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