Royals announce plan to keep Oak Street open in Crossroads ballpark
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Committee to Keep the Chiefs and Royals in Jackson County sent out a statement Wednesday morning that they’ve decided to keep Oak Street open in the Kansas City Royals new ballpark plan in the East Crossroads.
The committee’s treasurer is Whitney Beaver, the Chief Financial Officer of the Royals. Wednesday’s announcement was a change from the original ballpark plan announced in February.
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“We did our original design with that closed, but that’s really, Jonathan, really in reaction to listening to people in the community,” Royals Chairman and CEO John Sherman said during a news conference at Kauffman Stadium Wednesday.
Sherman says he listened to Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas and the city council on making this change. He says the plan to keep Oak open does not modify the 34,000-seat planned stadium.
Sherman also said he doesn’t think it will change the ballpark district, where the hotel, team offices, corporate offices, and residential entertainment venue would be. Later in Wednesday’s news conference, Sherman tabled any discussion about whether businesses east of Oak might be able to stay open.
“There will be discussion on the other side of April 2 about that whole development,” he said. “What we’ve said today is that we’ll keep Oak Street open. There will be a series of discussions with the city, the city council, and the businesses in the area as to how that will play out, you know, after April 2.”
Before Wednesday’s news conference, FOX4 was able to talk to Mayor Quinton Lucas. He said he thinks the footprint of the stadium could go in between Grand and Oak.
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“I think that helps a lot of small businesses that are concerned right now, know that they have an opportunity not only to survive, but to thrive in the area, and that’s the main reason that I’m excited to see this change today,” he said after the Kansas City Finance Committee meeting.
“Let me tell you what I’m voting on. I’m voting on a stadium. I’m voting on two stadiums,” Mayor Lucas said when asked whether he thought the entertainment district would still be built east of Oak, even though that street would now stay open.
“My interest is in making sure that we keep these teams, and my interest is in making sure that we have fair deals not just to the taxpayers, but also those who will be in the neighborhoods with them.”
The stadium sales tax election for the Royals new stadium and the renovation at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium takes place Tuesday, April 2.
