Kansas City leaders approve ordinance to negotiate Downtown Royals stadium

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KQTV) -- The Kansas City Council approved an ordinance Thursday that would authorize the city to begin negotiating a lease and development agreement with the Kansas City Royals for a Downtown stadium.

KQ2 previously reported that the proposed Downtown Baseball District is a $1.9 billion investment with no new taxes, a 30-year lease and community benefits for parks, playgrounds and recreation centers throughout the city.

The proposed project will be in and around Washington Square Park and the Crown Center area.

The Council's approval authorizes the City Manager to begin negotiating a term sheet, lease and development agreement, while the City continues public engagement and planning efforts.

"Today's legislation is a historic day for Kansas City, the state of Missouri and our entire region," Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said in a post on X. "Our transformational new stadium and baseball district will bring more jobs to thousands of Kansas Citians, will bring professional sports and millions of visitors downtown, and will ensure the development of Kansas City's core is second to no other city in our country."

Today, City Council approved an ordinance authorizing the city to begin negotiating a lease and development agreement with the Kansas City Royals for a proposed downtown stadium. pic.twitter.com/I8y4J2Hz67

— Mayor Quinton Lucas (@MayorLucasKC) April 16, 2026

"The ordinance lays out a comprehensive list of duties for us to execute. There's a lot of work left ot be done," City Manager Mario Vaquez said in a news release. "We will engage with residents, and we will work to ensure that we can forge partnerships that will deliver long term benefits to Kansas City."

The City said additional legislative steps related to funding, zoning, permitting, Tax Increment Financing and other required approvals would still need to come before the City Council in the future.