Kansas extends deadline for Royals, Chiefs to use STAR bonds

John Sherman and company now have until the end of 2025 to accept the stadium incentives from Kansas

The deadline for the Kansas City Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs to accept incentives for building new stadiums in the state of Kansas has been extended by six months. The Legislative Coordinating Council agreed to a December 31st, 2025 deadline to hear plans on stadium deals by both teams.

Kansas has offered to use STAR bonds to cover up to 70% of the costs of a new stadium. Missouri, meanwhile, has an offer involving the teams local sales tax revenue that will cover up to 50% of stadium costs and/or renovations for the two teams. Missouri’s offer to the teams also requires the local municipality to offer financial support as well.

Interestingly, it was Chiefs president Mark Donavan who asked the Kansas LCC for an extension. Senate President Ty Masterson told the media that Donavan asked for the extension “in light of substantial progress the Chiefs have made in discussions.” The Royals have been quieter on this specific aspect of stadium negotiating, but stand to benefit from the Chiefs request if they decide to move across State Line Road.

Royals owner John Sherman told reporters back in March that their goal was to address a specific location publicly “in that June-July period.” While we technically are still in the June-July period, it feels increasingly unlikely that we will know in the next three weeks where the Royals plan on playing in the future. Kansas City Beacon reporter Josh Merchant wrote an article at the end of June in which he talked to local officials about the fact that the Royals have not chosen a site yet. He received a response from Sam Mellinger, Royals Vice President of Communications, in which Mellinger stated:

“We’ve been consistent that we’re exploring all options,” Royals spokesperson Sam Mellinger told The Beacon in an email, “and when we have something that’s ready to share we will do it.”

In fairness to the Royals, Missouri did not pass the tax incentives until last month, so the situation has changed since Sherman’s comments. The Royals have set deadlines previously that were then changed, so if the Royals don’t feel ready to share by the end of July, I suspect that we won’t hear an update on their end.

We continue to get little pieces of information about the Royals stadium search. Clay County Commissioner Jason Withington shared on social media that the Royals submitted a term sheet to Clay County before July 4th:

Clay County will have the same ability as Jackson County to create a Sports Complex Authority, which would own the stadium and lease it out to the teams. Governor Kehoe is planning to hold a signing ceremony in North KC this afternoon. This all appears to give Clay County a more realistic chance to end up with the Royals new stadium than I had previously assumed.

As far as Kansas City goes, we know that local businessman Ollie Gates reached out to the Royals last month to propose a different site, the old KC ATA building near 18th and Paseo. A stadium site over on the east side of 71-highway would help connect downtown to 18th and Vine, as the area is under consideration for a new streetcar line. It seems to me to be late in this process for a new stadium site, although 18th and Vine has been previously considered by the Royals. And if there is something I’ve learned monitoring and writing about the Royals stadium process, I’ve learned that I have no idea what will happen next.