As the NFL’s Chiefs prepare for a move to Kansas, Major League Baseball’s Royals are solidifying their commitment to Kansas City, Missouri, with an ambitious $1.9 billion stadium plan.

Slated to break ground next year, the Royals’ new ballpark will anchor a sprawling $3 billion mixed-use development in the downtown Crown Center area. This shift from their longstanding home at Kauffman Stadium involves a collaboration with Hallmark, the renowned greeting card company, which plans to establish its new headquarters within the 85-acre development.

“This represents a collaboration between two cherished Kansas City entities,” Royals owner John Sherman expressed to the press on Tuesday. “Our aim is to craft a vision that honors our shared history and the rich legacy of both organizations while also rejuvenating and reimagining our future together.”

Regarding financing, the project will predominantly rely on private investment, covering two-thirds of the costs. The remaining funds will come from public tax contributions and bond sales, with a portion designated from a legal provision passed last year that approved the bond issuance for stadium projects.

“We see this as a wise investment for Missouri taxpayers, as it does not detract from existing programs,” stated Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe. “The economic benefits of this facility will extend well beyond the city, impacting rural Missouri and other areas of the state.”

This announcement comes in the wake of Kansas City’s decision to authorize City Manager Mario Vasquez to negotiate a $600 million arrangement with the Royals, further cementing the team’s future in the heart of Missouri.

This artist’s rendering provided by Populous and the Kansas City Royals, Wednesday, April 22, 2026, shows a rendition of the Royals’ new baseball stadium to be constructed in downtown

The Crown Center area will be connected by streetcar to the Power & Light District, which includes the T-Mobile Center, a venue known for hosting rodeos and combat sports

A general view of the sky lighting up as the Kansas City Royals play at Kauffman Stadium

The Crown Center area will be connected by streetcar to the Power & Light District, which includes the T-Mobile Center, a venue known for hosting rodeos, combat sports and college basketball games.

Previously, the Royals announced their intention to leave Kauffman Stadium when their lease expires at the Truman Sports Complex in five years.

Tuesday’s announcement comes after the city’s failed attempt to keep the Chiefs, who have since announced their intention to move across the state line into Kansas.

The Chiefs and Royals were previously aligned on a project to renovate Arrowhead Stadium and replace Kauffman Stadium, but voters rejected a 2024 proposal to fund that plan through the extension of a sales tax.

Consequently, $2.4 billion in bonds were issued to cover 60 percent of a new domed stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, where the Chiefs will begin playing in 2031.

Renderings of a proposed domed stadium for the Chiefs were released back in May 2024

Sherman has cited Atlanta’s Truist Park as a good example of a ballpark and development project financed by private and public funds. 

In Georgia, the Cobb-Marietta Coliseum & Exhibit Hall Authority raised nearly $400 million in bonds, while the county raised millions more in transportation taxes, while local businesses and the Braves covered the rest. In total, the park and surrounding real estate cost around $1.1 billion.

‘There are many great ballpark neighborhoods in Major League Baseball,’ Sherman said, ‘but this is a bigger project with more land in downtown and in the heart of the city. We are bringing a modern, state-of-the-art ballpark experience to our fans, closer to our public transportation and where more people work and live.’

But economists remain skeptical over the use of tax funds for stadiums, which often fail to deliver their promised economic impact for communities.

Currently, 49 of the 60 stadiums used by the NFL and MLB are either publicly owned or sit on public land, and a growing number of fans hope to see those teams continue with their current facilities.

‘We’ve got a perfectly good stadium sitting there that was recently renovated and we’re still paying on that,’ Royals fan Jim Meyer told The Associated Press in 2023. ‘There is no real reason to replace it.’