A new Kansas City Royals ballpark could be part of a dramatic redevelopment of the city’s historic Crown Center neighborhood, according to plans filed by an engineering firm.
The $1.9-million ballpark would anchor a more extensive $3-billion mixed-use development. In late April the Royals, the city and Crown Center officials announced preliminary plans for a new downtown ballpark at the existing 85-acre development located on the southern side of downtown Kansas City. It was developed by Hallmark Cards and will feature the company’s new headquarters (the current headquarters will move to accommodate the projected ballpark location), as well as theaters, hotels and attractions like Union Station, the Museum of BBQ, a Legoland outpost and the National WWI Museum and Memorial. The site also features plenty of freeway access and is connected by streetcar to the Power & Light District and T-Mobile Center. Interestingly, much of Crown Center dates back to the 1969-1973 period—as does Kauffman Stadium—and has landed the complex on the National Register of Historic Places.
If current planning holds, the new Royals ballpark would open for the 2031 season.
The plans submitted by engineering firm Olsson wasn’t anything approaching a site plan for redevelopment; instead, the plans detailed a proposal to define a new urban redevelopment district and allow some flexibility in specific redevelopment planning. As noted, Crown Center is a historically significant part of downtown Kansas City with some protections in place.
Even though no specifics were provided regarding the new development, the plan from Olsson and Populous does indicate that a more dense environment is planned with the addition of more than three-million square feet in the Crown Center area, expanding from 9.1 million square feet to 12.6 million square feet. From the Kansas City Star:
“We are pleased to continue the planning process with the Kansas City Royals as we work toward the reimagining of Crown Center, and this filing is part of that process,” Crown Center spokesperson Tina McGuire said. “While this is a long-term project that will take shape over the coming years, we are encouraged by the progress made to date and are excited to have reached this point.”
We are still in the early planning stages for the new ballpark; the city still needs to approve a final funding plan.
Renderings courtesy Kansas City Royals.
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