Royals, Hallmark Cards plan move to new downtown Kansas City stadium

The Kansas City Royals have played at the site of Kauffman Stadium since 1973. File Photo by Tannen Maury/UPI

April 22 (UPI) -- The Kansas City Royals and Hallmark Cards will team up to build a new downtown stadium in the Crown Center district, they announced Wednesday.

The Royals said they plan to construct a "world-class ballpark," which will be surrounded by mixed-use development. They estimate that the project will create more than 20,000 jobs, just in the construction phase. Officials anticipate a private investment of at least $2 billion for the 85-acre development.

"Our founder, Ewing Kauffman, wanted the Royals to be Kansas City's forever, and he wanted the team to benefit his hometown as much as possible," Royals owner John Sherman said. "Joining Hallmark with this project achieves both and extends the Hall family's critical legacy of helping Kansas City grow."

The Royals said the project will be funded "primarily by the Royals and other private investors and supplemented by public funding from the city of Kansas City and Missouri's Show-Me Sports Investment Act."

"When the new Royals stadium opens at Crown Center, something proud will come full circle," Hallmark Cards executive chairman of the board of directors Don Hall Jr. said.

"The iconic Royals crown that Hallmark created will return to the very neighborhood where it was conceived. Every time a fan walks through the stadium doors, they'll be standing in a place shaped by Kansas City and Hallmark's creative spirit."

The Royals moved into their current ballpark, Kauffman Stadium, in 1973 in Kansas City, Mo. That facility was known as Royals Stadium until 1993. The ballpark is adjacent to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs.

"Today's announcement reinforces that the State of Missouri is not just where the Kansas City Royals play but where they belong," Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe said. "This decision by the Royals to invest in our state is more than just a commitment to Kansas City, it is a commitment to communities and fans across Missouri.

"I appreciate the partnership of the Royals organization, Hallmark and state and local leaders in working together to make this project a reality."

The Chiefs announced in December that they plan to leave their longtime home for a new, domed stadium in Wyandotte County, Kan. The current stadium leases for the Chiefs and Royals expire in January 2031.