Royals alter design of proposed ballpark district

KANSAS CITY -- With Jackson County’s special election less than a week away, the Royals agreed Wednesday to a design change that would keep Oak Street open if their new proposed ballpark is built in the Crossroads District in downtown Kansas City.

Royals CEO/chairman John Sherman made the announcement after Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said earlier this week that he opposes the part of the Royals’ renderings that closed off a two-block section of Oak Street for the ballpark and surrounding entertainment district.

“I want to thank Mayor Quinton Lucas for his leadership and tireless advocacy as we work to make the best possible ballpark district in downtown Kansas City,” Sherman said in a statement. “We have been listening to members of the Crossroads community and had thoughtful conversations with the mayor and city council to improve the ballpark district impact. Through these conversations, we have come to realize the importance of keeping Oak Street open. We acknowledge Oak Street is an integral part of the downtown experience, and therefore, we agree to change the ballpark district design to keep Oak Street open. We look forward to working with the mayor and city council to begin this joint effort.”

The original renderings of the Royals’ proposed ballpark site, announced on Feb. 13, showed a six-block footprint from Grand Boulevard to Locust Street and Truman Road to 17th Street.

Renderings placed part of the stadium, the team’s headquarters, a corporate office, a hotel and residential venues along the Oak and Locust Streets corridor.

Later Wednesday, ahead of the Royals’ final workout before Opening Day on Thursday, Sherman said keeping Oak Street open wouldn’t affect how the stadium is being built.

The Royals will still move forward with the surrounding development but will alter the design to keep Oak Street open. They said they were committed to continuing conversations about the design after the vote.

“It doesn’t really change much about the stadium,” Sherman said. “That’s simply about keeping Oak Street open. We listened to the community, we listened to the mayor, the city council, certainly the people in the Crossroads and Crossroads Community Association, and it became clear to us that that stay open as a north-south artery. It’s a key part of the neighborhood for car traffic, pedestrians and bicycles. We basically just agreed that it would stay open. It does not really modify much of our stadium.”

The Royals and Kansas City Chiefs are asking Jackson County voters to approve a 40-year 3/8-cent sales tax to help fund a new downtown ballpark and surrounding district for the Royals and renovations to Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs. The team’s current lease at the Truman Sports Complex runs through 2031.

Election Day is Tuesday.

“We are committed to Oak Street to be open to pedestrians, bicyclists and cars,” the Royals said in a separate statement. “We have said all along that we are meeting with and listening to members of the Crossroads community. This is an example of that work. We have always viewed our project as connecting downtown neighborhoods, and keeping this important artery open is consistent with that priority. After the vote, we will continue this collaborative and thoughtful process with the mayor, city council and Crossroads small businesses on integrating the ballpark district and neighborhood.”

The Royals, Chiefs and the Jackson County Sports Authority signed new leases Wednesday that will guide the teams in Jackson County for the next 40 years.

The Royals have been ramping up their campaign to “Vote Yes on Question 1” over the last several weeks, and some coaches, including manager Matt Quatraro, wore T-shirts supporting a “yes” vote during Wednesday’s workout with the back of the shirt saying: “Keep KC Big League.”

When asked whether he was nervous about the vote, Sherman called the Royals’ project “the most important thing that we’ll probably do while we’re the stewards of this franchise.”

“We want to win baseball games, we want another parade, but this is about the future of this franchise,” Sherman continued. “And in this case, it’s about both these franchises. My objective is to keep this team in Jackson County and Kansas City to sustain ourselves as a Major League city. I think a lot about our owners, Lamar Hunt and Ewing Kauffman, and I take the legacy of Ewing Kauffman and all he did to keep this team here, and that’s really what keeps me up at night. This is the path that we want to take, but I take that responsibility very seriously.”