The Chiefs and Royals have stated that they will stay in Kansas City should voters approve a sales tax to pay for improvements at Arrowhead and the replacement of Kauffman Stadium.

The Major League Baseball and NFL teams in Kansas City intend to stay by the Missouri River as long as the local taxpayers are on board.

The Chiefs and Royals declared on Friday that both of the Kansas City teams would stay in Jackson County, which is home to the Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums, provided local voters approve the extension of a current sales tax that has long been used to fund the teams’ maintenance.

Located at the Truman Sports Complex, the stadiums have been connected to one another for the past 50 years by means of lease agreements with the county. They first opened for business in the early 1970s. However, both teams are making plans for the future of their facilities because the current lease expires in 2030–31, and the Royals have made it clear that they would like to build a new ballpark downtown.

The Chiefs would use the extended sales tax for Arrowhead Stadium renovations, while the baseball team would use it to help fund the proposed park.

The Jackson County bid, which would place a new ballpark near the T-Mobile Center and Power & Light entertainment district, and the Clay County offer, which is located across the Missouri River, are the two that the Royals have been evaluating.

Star players for the Chiefs, Travis Kelce (right) and Patrick Mahomes (left), have no intention of leaving Kansas City.

The Royals and Bobby Witt Jr. (left) would like a new park, but they currently play at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.

“The Chiefs and the Royals have enjoyed a successful 50-year partnership with Jackson County that benefits all stakeholders,” the teams declared. “The teams have agreed to provide Jackson County with more than $200 million in new economic benefits over 40 years in a new lease agreement,” reads the proposed agreement between the teams and Jackson County.

The deal would return the park tax to the county and relieve the county of its obligation to pay stadium insurance premiums. In the meantime, the Royals would pay for a brand-new ballpark neighborhood centered on their new stadium with private funds.

The Chiefs and Royals plan to try to get the tax on the ballot in April, and the Jackson County legislature is scheduled to meet on Monday. Should it be authorized, both parties would then be able to start organizing the building and remodeling projects.

The teams declared, “Over the past 50 years, the partnership between Jackson County, the Chiefs, and the Royals has been a tremendous success and directly responsible for much of the great momentum our hometown has built.”

“The framework outlined here offers Jackson County a substantial financial boost, was developed cooperatively around concerns raised by the county executive and other local leaders, and will benefit Kansas City and the surrounding area for many years to come.”

In August, the Royals released some conceptual drawings of their planned stadium, which featured two radically different sites for the team’s planned replacement for Kauffman Stadium.

In the first location, known as the East Village, a ballpark would serve as the focal point of a 27-acre development situated a short distance from the bustling Power & Light District, which is already home to T-Mobile Center. The second site is a 90-acre area in Clay County that is situated across the Missouri River. Here, the Royals would have greater development options for both residential and commercial properties.

Both designs were created by Populous, the massive sports architecture firm with headquarters in Kansas City that is credited with building or renovating more than 20 MLB stadiums that are currently in use.

Approximately two years ago, the Royals made their plans to vacate Kauffman Stadium known. However, given the numerous variables surrounding the projected $2 billion+ ballpark and entertainment district, decision-making regarding a course of action has been sluggish.

Whatever the location, Royals President of Business Operations Brooks Sherman stated in August that the team plans to move into their new stadium for the 2028 season’s opening day and is willing to invest approximately $1 billion in private funds on the project.

“Part of the challenge is making sure we’re appropriately negotiating and exchanging views with each group of elected leaders—the governing bodies—and we’re doing that with both Clay County and Jackson County,” stated Sherman.

Long seen as the front-runner, the downtown location would tap into business and commercial opportunities to help generate the revenue required, according to MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, for a small-market club to compete.

The proposed stadium has swooping roof lines reminiscent of Kauffman Stadium, but Populous founder Earl Santee cautioned that this is not a final design. Right-center field features a tribute to the fountains that made the original park famous, as well as what Santee referred to as “one of the most intimate seating bowls in all of baseball.”

However, the stadium has shortcomings. The downtown corridor already presents challenges for entry and exit, and parking may be problematic, especially during day games when nearby employees occupy the available spots.

The location in North Kansas City would carry on the neighborhood’s transformation from a dilapidated industrial area.