Manica Architecture designs for the potential new home of the Kansas City Chiefs have been presented to Kansas legislators considering a bid to bring the NFL team to their state.
The renderings were displayed at a state senate meeting on Tuesday where a bid to entice the Super Bowl winners from Missouri to Kansas was discussed. Chiefs are potentially looking to relocate after plans to renovate the ageing Arrowhead Stadium received a setback as local residents last month voted down a sales tax measure that would have funded the project.
What the renderings show
The Manica images seem to propose a covered dome and suggest the venue would be part of a wider sports complex that could also include a new headquarters for the MLB’s Kansas City Royals.
Manica has been developing the project on behalf of an unnamed real estate developer. Manica has led projects such as Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium and the new stadium for the Tennessee Titans.
Reports suggest the unnamed developer is seeking to persuade both the Chiefs and lawmakers to support the team’s move from Missouri to the Kansas side of the Kansas City metro area. However, lawmakers pulled a vote on $1bn in funding for the project at Tuesday’s meeting, with the legislative session adjourned on Wednesday. The pulled bill would have allowed Kansas officials to authorise at least $1bn in bonds to cover the entire cost of building each new stadium. This would have been paid off with tax revenues generated in the area over 30 years.
According to local reports, Manica said the Chiefs’ stadium proposals are “inspired by the form and spirit of our historic Arrowhead Stadium but offers a wider variety of experiences for its fans.” Regarding the location, Manica explained that it “offers incredible access to everyone. And the total available parking area will provide an unbelievable tailgating experience that is supplemented by a fantastic mixed-use development.”
Chiefs chairman considering stadium options
Earlier this week, Clark Hunt, chairman and chief executive of the Chiefs, said that it “may make more sense” for the NFL team to move to a new stadium after Jackson County residents rejected the funding proposal.
The sales tax measure would have also aided the development of a new downtown stadium for MLB team the Kansas City Royals, but more than 58% of voters rejected the plan in April 2024.
The rejection of the plan marked a blow for the Chiefs, who in February unveiled initial concepts for a “complete reimagination and renovation” of Arrowhead Stadium as part of a project reportedly worth $800m (£639m/€747m). Arrowhead has been the Chiefs’ home since the early 1970s.
The Chiefs’ lease deal to play at Arrowhead expires in 2031. The team had previously been weighing up the possibility of building a new stadium before committing to a major renovation of Arrowhead.
However, Hunt has now admitted that the team may be forced to look at building a new stadium following the rejection of the sales tax measure.
“We will approach it from a broader perspective going forward because time is short for us at this point and so we need to see what other options are out there for us,” Hunt said, according to ESPN. “When we started on this process three years ago, it felt like we had a very long time, a long runway with about nine and a half [years] left on our lease. We’re now down to six and a half and so I do feel very much of a sense of urgency.”
