Kansas City may be on the verge of putting the Royals stadium fight in front of voters again - this time through a petition-driven ordinance that would require public approval before the city can move ahead with certain large, for-profit stadium projects.
Missouri Workers Power, a progressive advocacy group, spent earlier this year collecting signatures for a proposal aimed at giving voters the final say on stadium plans that get city support. The measure would cover projects like the proposed Royals stadium, even as those plans continue moving through City Hall.
The timing matters because the City Council last month approved a financial framework for the Crown Center site that would put $90 million toward infrastructure and authorize $510 million in bonds. That package is meant to help turn Crown Center into a sports entertainment district anchored by a new Royals stadium, which would replace the current Kauffman.
Under the city’s plan, the bonds would be paid off through redirected economic activity tax revenues, including food and beverage sales tax generated by the stadium for up to 30 years, plus a special 1% tax in the project area and new tax revenue generated within a “stadium impact area,” among other sources.
That setup is different from the Crossroads proposal voters rejected in 2024. The city’s deal with the Royals is a financing and incentive agreement for a development project, not a new tax, so it would not normally need voter approval.
Organizers say that’s exactly why they filed a citizen initiative petition with more than 4,500 signatures. Their goal is to force voter approval for large stadium projects backed by the city if the council doesn’t pass the ordinance on its own. The council did not adopt the proposal by the end of August, which triggered the push to place it on the ballot.
Now the council could soon formally submit the question to voters at the next available election. The item was referred to a special committee for legal review on Sept. 22 before any final council action.
If it reaches the ballot, the vote would be held April 6, 2027. Voters would be asked:
“Shall the City adopt an ordinance that prohibits City officers, agents, and employees from implementing, advancing, furthering, or fostering any plan to design or construct, with material support from the City, a stadium, arena, or similar venue, with a seating capacity of 2,500 or more, for use by a for-profit business, or ancillary development or necessary infrastructure support for that stadium, arena, or similar venue, unless the plan is first submitted to and approved by a majority of the voters voting on it, and providing a penalty of five hundred dollars ($500.00) per day for each violation?”
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