Kansas City Royals Unveil Plans for $3 Billion Downtown Stadium

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The Kansas City Royals are set to develop a $3 billion stadium in downtown Kansas City, marking a significant public-private partnership aimed at revitalizing the area.

The Kansas City Royals are taking bold steps to reintroduce baseball to downtown with an ambitious plan for a $3 billion stadium and mixed-use development, which is being touted as the largest public-private partnership in the history of the city. The Major League Baseball team intends to construct a 34,000-seat, open-air ballpark at Crown Center, strategically located near downtown. This stadium will serve as the focal point of a broader sports-anchored district, developed in collaboration with Hallmark Cards. Recently released renderings provide a glimpse into a ballpark that is tailored to reflect the architectural nuances of Kansas City while ensuring that spectators feel closely connected to the action on the field.
Anticipating a groundbreaking in 2027, the new stadium is designed to replace Kauffman Stadium, which has been the Royals’ home since 1973 and is currently the fifth-oldest ballpark in Major League Baseball. Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman emphasized the extensive effort that has gone into locating a new home for the franchise. “Patience has given us an outcome that we could never have imagined. There’s no script … no playbook, no blueprint, no roadmap,” he stated. He described the venture as a “narrative of community, of trust, of courage and vision, and a passion for doing something special for the city we love.”
The collaboration with Hallmark Cards will revamp over 85 acres of Crown Center, creating a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood centered around baseball. The development is envisioned to include sports, entertainment, retail, hospitality, residential, and public spaces, establishing connections to nearby Union Station and the Crossroads district. Sherman remarked, “We’re bringing baseball downtown, we are bringing a second crown downtown.” He noted that this project is set to be the largest public-private partnership in Kansas City’s history, with total investments in the first phase exceeding $3 billion.
The funding for the project is expected to be predominantly sourced from private funds, with the Royals and their partners contributing at least two-thirds of the total investment. The construction phase is projected to create approximately 20,000 jobs. The stadium itself will occupy the site of Hallmark’s existing corporate headquarters, with plans for the company to relocate its headquarters within the Crown Center area, thus maintaining its longstanding presence in Kansas City.
The architectural design of the 1.25-million-square-foot stadium is in the capable hands of Kansas City-based global design firm Populous. The design aims to resonate with Kansas City’s landscape and architectural heritage, drawing inspiration from local landmarks such as the Municipal Auditorium, Union Station, and the Liberty Memorial. The four-deck stadium will be constructed approximately 90 feet into the ground, integrating it into the existing limestone bluff of the site. This approach is intended to create a structure that feels cohesive with its environment rather than dominating the skyline.
The main entryway will feature limestone framed with lighter materials, metal, and terracotta. Above the seating areas, a lightweight fabric canopy will allow for the classic open-air baseball experience while providing shade from the summer heat, covering roughly 65 percent of the seats during late-afternoon games. Renderings depict an oval-shaped stadium surrounded by green spaces and plazas, with a seating design that brings fans closer to the field.
Two continuous 360-degree concourses will connect various facilities, including an entertainment building and the Royals’ headquarters, while offering views of the Kansas City skyline. Additional features include an expansive fountain display beyond the outfield wall, along with iconic elements from Kauffman Stadium like the Royals’ crown and the CrownVision scoreboard. Populous brings extensive experience to the project, having designed ballparks for 29 of the 30 MLB teams, with about 90 percent of the design team being local to Kansas City.
The construction will be managed by a joint venture between Mortenson and Kansas City’s McCownGordon, with JE Dunn, another local firm, involved in developing the surrounding mixed-use area. The Crown Center site already boasts significant infrastructure to support a downtown stadium, including roughly 9,000 parking spaces and access to the Kansas City streetcar system along Main Street.
Sherman believes that the scale of the development presents a chance to transcend baseball, stating, “Together, we will rethink, reimagine, redefine and redevelop Crown Center in an 85-acre-plus setting that will instantly become the largest sports-anchored downtown development of its kind.” The return of baseball to the city’s urban core also carries historical significance. Bob Kendrick, president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, expressed excitement about connecting the future of Kansas City baseball with its rich past. “To have the opportunity to see baseball return to its roots where so much history was made back in the urban core is extremely exciting to all of us involved with this project,” he stated. His thoughts on the project’s implications for the city were succinct: “Kansas City baseball is back at the center of the universe.”

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