A new study released by the Royals Friday claims a new ballpark in the city’s Crossroads area would create more than 30,000, mostly temporary and permanent jobs and have billions of dollars in economic impact both before and after construction.Specifically, the team’s projections include 26,000 construction jobs and $3.8 billion of economic impact during that phase.Once the ballpark is done, the study found the district will create 5400 new jobs, $1.2 billion in economic output, and $79 million in new tax revenue each year.”Local fans and visitors with an appetite for unique experiences like restaurants and urban amenities just aren’t available at the K,” said Royals President of Business Operations, Brooks Sherman.He added, “Upgrading to our preferred site, which connects downtown to the Crossroads T-Mobile Center to the new ballpark, and the creation of an expanded sports and entertainment district will bring massive benefit to our region.”Both the Royals’ plans for a new ballpark and the Chiefs’ plans to upgrade Arrowhead are contingent on Jackson County voters replacing the current three-eighths of a cent sales tax with the same tax for forty years to help finance their deals.Artist Julia Cole has a “Hell No” sign visible in her studio window just south of the old Kansas City Star Printing Press Pavilion property, a major part of the land the Royals want to use for the new ballpark.”We have lovingly, carefully, on a shoestring budget, made this a place where we can live and work and grow old.And all of a sudden, that’s just being ripped out from underneath us without even the courtesy to tell us what’s going on,” Cole said. “Every economic study that I have read, and I’ve read a lot of them, demonstrates that this is not a real win for the crossroads or for the city economically,” she added.The Royals worked on the projections in partnership with Jones Lang LaSalle, a Chicago-based company specializing in real estate with offices in Overland Park. There is no indication that the firm has conducted previous studies on the economic impact of building a new ballpark.The Foundation for Economic Education also notes significant research in the area, which found little or no evidence that new stadiums affect the levels of employment, tax receipts, incomes, or wages in a city. Sherman believes the difference in this case is the Royals would be leaving a stadium where there are no outside amenities to a place near the Power and Light Entertainment District and other amenities.”The Major League Baseball games alone will bring 2 to 3 million people in aggregate to downtown during the season. By having our ballpark supported by our own development, that’s activated 365 days a year will add visitors on top of the baseball fans and thus the synergies,” he said.Part of the projections are based on the Royals increasing their attendance for games to a similar level to the 2.7 million fans they drew in 2016 after their World Championship 2015 season.However, in 2023 with the club matching a record 106 losses, the Royals attendance ranked 28th out of 30 Major League Baseball teams at about 1.3 million or less than half the 2016 number.”We certainly feel we’ll get to that. We’re incredibly excited about the upcoming season,” Sherman said.Franklin Garner’s company Amgraf has been at its Crossroads location since 1983.When the Royals first announced their plans in February, Garner didn’t know about them.He said within a few days after KMBC spoke to Garner, Brooks Sherman called. Garner said it was about a five-minute conversation focused on the Royals’ wishes to build a new ballpark in the area without offering to buy the property.Garner said moving his business would be “incredibly disruptive” and he hasn’t found any comparable locations to potentially move Amgraf.Tony Privitera, the current owner of the Star Printing Press Pavilion property, says he’s in ongoing talks with the Royals.The Royals will play only a handful of games in the new season before voters have their say on the tax referendum on April 2.Recent polling shows the outcome is too close to call.
A new study released by the Royals Friday claims a new ballpark in the city’s Crossroads area would create more than 30,000, mostly temporary and permanent jobs and have billions of dollars in economic impact both before and after construction.
Specifically, the team’s projections include 26,000 construction jobs and $3.8 billion of economic impact during that phase.
Once the ballpark is done, the study found the district will create 5400 new jobs, $1.2 billion in economic output, and $79 million in new tax revenue each year.
“Local fans and visitors with an appetite for unique experiences like restaurants and urban amenities just aren’t available at the K,” said Royals President of Business Operations, Brooks Sherman.
He added, “Upgrading to our preferred site, which connects downtown to the Crossroads T-Mobile Center to the new ballpark, and the creation of an expanded sports and entertainment district will bring massive benefit to our region.”
Both the Royals’ plans for a new ballpark and the Chiefs’ plans to upgrade Arrowhead are contingent on Jackson County voters replacing the current three-eighths of a cent sales tax with the same tax for forty years to help finance their deals.
Artist Julia Cole has a “Hell No” sign visible in her studio window just south of the old Kansas City Star Printing Press Pavilion property, a major part of the land the Royals want to use for the new ballpark.
“We have lovingly, carefully, on a shoestring budget, made this a place where we can live and work and grow old.
And all of a sudden, that’s just being ripped out from underneath us without even the courtesy to tell us what’s going on,” Cole said. “Every economic study that I have read, and I’ve read a lot of them, demonstrates that this is not a real win for the crossroads or for the city economically,” she added.
The Royals worked on the projections in partnership with Jones Lang LaSalle, a Chicago-based company specializing in real estate with offices in Overland Park.
There is no indication that the firm has conducted previous studies on the economic impact of building a new ballpark.
The Foundation for Economic Education also notes significant research in the area, which found little or no evidence that new stadiums affect the levels of employment, tax receipts, incomes, or wages in a city.
Sherman believes the difference in this case is the Royals would be leaving a stadium where there are no outside amenities to a place near the Power and Light Entertainment District and other amenities.
“The Major League Baseball games alone will bring 2 to 3 million people in aggregate to downtown during the season. By having our ballpark supported by our own development, that’s activated 365 days a year will add visitors on top of the baseball fans and thus the synergies,” he said.
Part of the projections are based on the Royals increasing their attendance for games to a similar level to the 2.7 million fans they drew in 2016 after their World Championship 2015 season.
However, in 2023 with the club matching a record 106 losses, the Royals attendance ranked 28th out of 30 Major League Baseball teams at about 1.3 million or less than half the 2016 number.
“We certainly feel we’ll get to that. We’re incredibly excited about the upcoming season,” Sherman said.
Franklin Garner’s company Amgraf has been at its Crossroads location since 1983.
When the Royals first announced their plans in February, Garner didn’t know about them.
He said within a few days after KMBC spoke to Garner, Brooks Sherman called.
Garner said it was about a five-minute conversation focused on the Royals’ wishes to build a new ballpark in the area without offering to buy the property.
Garner said moving his business would be “incredibly disruptive” and he hasn’t found any comparable locations to potentially move Amgraf.
Tony Privitera, the current owner of the Star Printing Press Pavilion property, says he’s in ongoing talks with the Royals.
The Royals will play only a handful of games in the new season before voters have their say on the tax referendum on April 2.
Recent polling shows the outcome is too close to call.