Details are starting to surface on the Royals’ planned downtown stadium, and the clearest timeline yet comes from a permit filing reviewed by Chris Higgins of the Kansas City Star.
The documents point to construction beginning this year, with the project running through 2031, though those dates are still subject to change. Other areas tied to the broader development have shown longer timelines, stretching to 2035 or 2040.
Crown Center spokesperson Tina McGuire said the project is still moving through the planning stage.
“We are pleased to continue the planning process with the Kansas City Royals as we work toward the reimagining of Crown Center, and this filing is part of that process,” Crown Center spokesperson Tina McGuire said. “While this is a long-term project that will take shape over the coming years, we are encouraged by the progress made to date and are excited to have reached this point.”
Gabe Swartz and Samantha Boring at KCTV5 also reported on the filing, which lays out a project footprint of roughly 91 acres. The plan breaks the district into 10 separate areas and says the goal is to “build upon the area’s established role as a regional destination.”
Those 10 areas would move on different schedules. Under the current plan, the Royals would open the new stadium by the 2031 season, while the full district would be finished by 2040.
“However, anticipated commencement and completion dates for each phase are subject to change and are dependent upon market demand,” the plan said.
The filing also notes that parts of the plan were written by Populous, which is set to be the design lead and architect for the project. Populous’ design guidelines will be used to shape the work.
Elsewhere around the Royals, Sam Dykstra at the MLB mothership updated his top 100 prospect list ahead of the draft, and Blake Mitchell dropped from No. 50. Brody Hopkins, Kyson Witherspoon, Jurrangelo Cijntje, Kruz Schoolcraft and Wei-En Lin also moved out of the rankings.
Dykstra wrote that Mitchell’s “power, patience and ability to lift the ball remain tantalizing,” but his contact rate has slipped from 2025 to 2026, and he has continued to strike out in more than one-third of his High-A plate appearances. Dykstra called that “an untenable trend for this T100 list.”
Yirsandy Rodríguez also took a closer look at Carter Jensen’s recent hitting streak, pointing to how pitchers attacked him. Rodríguez wrote that breaking balls “became the centerpiece of every game plan,” noting that Jensen hit just .116 against breaking balls and offspeed pitches combined, with 58% of his strikeouts coming against those pitches.
Rodríguez added that the key issue was not simply whether Jensen could get out of a slump, but whether that weakness would become part of his long-term offensive profile. June, he wrote, has started to answer that question.
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