KC Tenants says downtown Royals ballpark would mean higher rents and ‘gentrification’

KC Tenants, the citywide renter’s union, has come out against the proposed sales tax that, if approved by voters on April 2, would help pay for a new Royals ballpark, upgrade Arrowhead Stadium and subsidize the teams’ operations for the next 40 years.

A key player in local politics since its formation in 2019, KC Tenants issued its statement in opposition to the stadiums tax on Monday morning, six days after the Royals announced the East Crossroads as their choice for construction of a $1 billion stadium and adjacent development.

KC Tenants is the first organized group to make public its opposition, but it will not be the last. A campaign committee is being formed to represent a diversity of interests, including businesses that would be displaced by a Royals stadium in the Crossroads area, sports fans who want to save Kauffman Stadium and taxpayers angry about rising property assessments.

“It’s a grassroots effort that combines people throughout Jackson County,” former Kansas City Councilwoman Becky Nace said of that group, which plans to make its announcement on Wednesday.

“Also, we have fans from other states who have reached out, offering support and not wanting the move downtown. They are self-described ‘several times a year attendees who will not be making the trip if it moves.’“

Building the stadium at the Royals’ preferred site would require demolishing buildings on six city blocks, from Grand Boulevard to Locust Street and Truman Road to 17th Street. There are 39 separate parcels owned by 26 owners, real estate records show. Some of those owners are eager to sell. Others say they want to stay.

The Royals said last week that their plan is to buy the properties and then hand title to the county, which would own the stadium.

The Crossroads Community Association is having a public meeting from 5 to 7 Tuesday evening at New Life City Church, 1717 McGee St., to gauge neighborhood sentiment.

‘Playground for the wealthy’

KC Tenants says building a new ballpark in the East Crossroads would lead to the displacement of existing businesses and the gentrification of the surrounding area at a time when rents are on the rise.

“The proposed sales tax to fund the stadium would cost our neighbors $50 million each year for 40 years. That’s about $167 per household, per year, all to pay for a playground for the wealthy and for tourists,” according to the group’s statement.

“This tax revenue, plus a future incentive deal with the city which would redirect money from our schools and other services, would be among the largest transfers of public money to private corporations in our region’s history.”

The group also faulted team owner John Sherman and the Royals organization for waiting until a week before regular absentee voting was to start to announce the site. KC Tenants also said the team has been less than forthcoming with details, such as the commitments it is willing to make as part of a community benefits agreement.

“KC Tenants has been invited to discuss the project, but we have refused to engage in negotiations while details of the deal remain inaccessible to the public. ‘Negotiations’ without transparency are not negotiations at all; they are a sham,” the group said in its statement.

The Royals did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Neither the teams nor county officials have yet said how much county taxpayers would pay up front to help build a Royals ballpark or fund renovations at Arrowhead. Although they are expected to provide those numbers before the election.

If approved, the ballot measure would lead to the establishment of a new 3/8th-cent sales tax to run for 40 years. It would replace the current sales tax, which voters approved in 2006 and is set to expire in 2031, shortly after the Chiefs and Royals leases are set to expire at the Truman Sports Complex.

The tax pays down the debt the county took on to fund renovations at Kauffman and Arrowhead. If approved, the new tax would go to pay off that debt and to however much the county ends up borrowing for the new projects.