Images: BNIM
Architecture firm BNIM has released renderings of a proposed new ballpark for the Kansas City Royals in the Washington Square Park area of the city.
BNIM is part of a team of architects, real estate brokers, attorneys and PR professionals that has been studying Washington Square Park as a potential stadium site for the Major League Baseball team.
The group was assembled in January and has been working independent of the Royals, the city and Jackson County. As well as BNIM, the team includes 3D Development, Cushman Wakefield, Withers Brant and Highline Partners.
The Royals currently play at Kauffman Stadium but the team has been considering a move to a new ballpark. In February, the team unveiled plans to build a new ballpark and entertainment district in the Crossroads area of the city, not far from Washington Square Park.
The Royals’ proposed stadium, which was designed by Populous, would have had a capacity of 34,000 and would have been within walking distance of the T-Mobile Center arena.
In April, residents of Jackson County resoundingly voted down a sales tax measure that would have helped to fund a new downtown ballpark for the Royals and renovations to Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
It has been suggested that the rejection of the sales tax could lead to the teams departing Kansas City, which is located in the state of Missouri. In June, the Kansas Legislature set up a potential battleground with Missouri after passing financial plans to attract the teams to new stadiums across state lines.
Despite the sales tax measure being rejected in April, the consortium involving BNIM and 3D Development believes a new Royals ballpark at Washington State Park remains possible.
Vince Bryant, chief executive of 3D Development, said: “We didn’t believe that the vote was the end of the story. As Crossroads businesses, we understood the concerns of our neighbours, but we also believed in the Royals’ desire to create something transformational for the city. After months of due diligence, which included sharing it quietly with our neighbours, we feel confident that this is a great home for the Royals.”
Steve McDowell, BNIM principal, added: “It didn’t take long to see that this is the right site for the Royals and the people of Kansas City. For more than 50 years, we’ve worked in the Union Station District and a new ballpark here would leverage so many existing public and private assets. Even more, it connects to a civic tradition of what began two miles east at the historic Municipal Stadium. This is the last piece of the puzzle in finishing the heart of the city.”
Under the plans put forward, no local businesses would be displaced, and only the former Blue Cross building, which will be vacated in 2025, would need to be demolished. The plans include more than 1,700 hotel rooms within a four-block radius and 4,500 more downtown, and the continued use of Washington Square Park as a public plaza and game-day assembly and activation.
Washington Square Park has hosted Super Bowl celebrations for the Chiefs and will serve as a fan festival during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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