Owner John Sherman reveals new stadium info is coming within a month

After months of uncertainty regarding many details about the Kansas City Royals’ new downtown stadium and ballpark district plans, the Royals have finally revealed that...we’ll know more soon. John Sherman, principal owner of the team, and the Royals published a letter stating that the team will share additional details at some point within the next month.

The Royals have narrowed their list to two possible locations: a site in the East Village that has long been among the most likeliest choices, as well as a location in North Kansas City in Clay County.

In the letter, Sherman insists that the Royals are “just getting started” and knows that “we’re not at all where we want to be on the field” when it comes to “restoring the Royals to their rightful place in Major League Baseball.” Additionally, Sherman discusses building “a world-class ballpark that keeps pace with our peers nationwide.” It is notable that he also specifically mentions the term “ballpark district,” implying interest in a sort of Atlanta Braves style multi-use development anchored by the stadium.

Sherman states that the team is prepared to commit $1 billion in private investment, and that they are committed to “playing the long game for the region we call home,” implying that the Royals want to stay in the Kansas City metro. Interestingly, it’s notable that Sherman did not specifically mention staying in Kansas City, a choice of words that seems to leave open the possibility of moving across State Line Road or elsewhere in suburbia.

Finally, Sherman and the team make unsubstantiated claims of specific economic benefits from an unnamed source. Academic studies consistently find that new stadiums are not associated with economic benefits in their communities, and a supermajority of economists agree that cities and counties do not make back tax dollars spent on new stadiums.

In any case, the Royals are committed to moving away from Kauffman Stadium. We’ll know more within a month where the proposed location for the stadium finally is as well as a broader idea of what the ballpark district (and public financing) will look like.