KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Downtown Council, a group of civic and nonprofit leaders, says downtown Kansas City, Missouri, is at "a critical point" if the downtown area aims to land a new baseball stadium for the Kansas City Royals.
"The question now is whether the Royals should build a new stadium downtown or move to Kansas," Downtown Council Chair Gib Kerr wrote in a release Thursday about a draft resolution the council adopted late last month.
In February, Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman said the team hopes to have some stadium certainty by late June or early July.
"It's our objective, by mid-year, to be prepared to talk about it," Sherman said at the team's Royals Rally.
Last year, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signed a law expanding the state's STAR bond incentive program that could help developers lure the Royals - or the Kansas City Chiefs - across state lines.
"We cannot ignore this very real competition," Kerr wrote in Thursday's release.
Kerr said downtown stakeholders "are meeting with all involved parties to discuss the downtown baseball initiatives."
"Our resolution strives to reinforce the Downtown Council's strong support and encouragement for City Hall to lead the effort and to finalize an agreement with the Royals as soon as possible," Kerr wrote.
You can read a copy of the resolution on the Downtown Council's website.
Last month, local leaders met with Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and other legislators to explore options for new or renovated stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals.
Watch KSHB 41 News reporter Charlie Keegan's report on those meetings in the video player below.
Timeline on debates over Chiefs and Royals stadium options
Following those meetings, three Kansas City-area legislators introduced Senate Bill 822 to create the Missouri Entertainment Facility - Capital Assistance Program Act.
"Losing the Royals to a suburban Kansas location would be a monumental lost opportunity for not only downtown but for the entire Kansas City region," Kerr wrote Thursday.
—