Royals, Hallmark unveil downtown ballpark plan

The Kansas City Royals and Hallmark Cards on Wednesday announced they are teaming up to build a new ballpark in downtown Kansas City.

Officials said the ballpark at Crown Center would surround mixed-use development and reimagined headquarters for both the Royals and Hallmark Cards Inc. They estimate it would create more than 20,000 jobs in the construction phase alone.

The expected private investment of $2 billion or more for an 85-acre development surrounding a park-like central square with fountains would be the largest in Kansas City history.

"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 CEO and chairman John Sherman said in a statement. "Joining Hallmark with this project achieves both and extends the Hall family's critical legacy of helping Kansas City grow."

The total project would 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.

"Today's announcement reinforces that the State of Missouri is not just where the Kansas City Royals play, but where they belong," Governor 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."

Sherman and Hallmark Cards executive chairman Don Hall Jr. have known and worked together for decades, including through each family's civic and philanthropic efforts.

"When the new Royals stadium opens at Crown Center, something proud will come full circle," 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."

By moving downtown, the Royals would move from the bottom 10 into the top 10 for walkability among Major League Baseball stadiums.

"The public-private partnership between Hallmark, the Royals, Kansas City and our state ensures we connect our neighborhoods, keeps our downtown vibrant and maintains big league baseball in our city for generations to come," Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said.