Kansas City Royals: Is it time for a new, downtown stadium?

Reports have recently surfaced that a downtown baseball stadium may become a reality for the Kansas City Royals in the future.

Have you ever gone to Wrigley Field, with the stadium right in the heart of downtown Chicago? It is a feel that is becoming more prominent in Major League Baseball. In the coming years, the Kansas City Royals may fall into the trend as well.

There are several different sites that have already been chosen as possible locations for a new stadium. For those of you who love Kauffman Stadium, this may not be good news. But, the the nice thing is that the stadium lease is not up until 2031. For those counting at home, there is still a lot of time left before the lease is up.

Like, 12 years worth of time before a move would even need to be made.

The Kansas City Star’s Editorial Board put together a piece that was extremely informative on the plans. There are four locations currently under consideration, and building the new stadium is by no means out of the question, according to comments reported from David Glass.

The reason why something that seems to be happening so far down the road is being talked about so much now revolves around the fact that this is a big decision. With a big decision comes lots of planning and multiple steps and phases to accomplish the goal of a new stadium.

According to the Kansas City Star, one of their possible locations was snagged by developers for purposes other than a new baseball field, but there are three other locations still available.

Other possibilities remain east of City Hall and near the 18th & Vine Jazz District. “You’ve got to reserve it, or you’re losing development sites,” City Manager, Troy Schulte said.

Some of the key points mentioned in the article are that the Kansas side of the state line are going to have to be involved in both planning and financing of the project. They also mention that if the Kansas City Royals get a new stadium, it is likely the Chiefs will also want a new stomping ground.

Though it will still be a while before this stadium would even break ground, and who knows if it will even happen, but at least management is being proactive in having the necessary conversations now.