Royals Just Got One Step Closer to Relocating: Report

In April 2024, Jackson County residents voted to reject a sales tax that would have helped fund renovations at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium and fund the building of a new Kansas City Royals ballpark in downtown Kansas City.

The vote’s result left the futures of the Chiefs and Royals up in the air.

The Chiefs made a final decision last December, announcing they would depart Arrowhead and begin calling a to-be-built $3 billion dome in Kansas home for the 2031 season.

As of Tuesday, the Royals are inching closer to a resolution.

“The Kansas City Board of Parks and Recreation Commissioners have approved a resolution authorizing the city to execute a lease agreement with the Royals to use Washington Square Park,” The Kansas City Star’s Sam McDowell reported.

Last week, McDowell and Kacen Bayless reported that Kansas City mayor Quinton Lucas and other city officials were “poised to introduce a funding plan” for a downtown stadium at Washington Square Park.

“The proposal calls for a $1.9 billion stadium and surrounding district at the downtown site near Crown Center and Union Station,” Bayless and McDowell relayed. “Kansas City would contribute roughly $600 million of the project, according to a copy of the proposal obtained by The Star.”

For years, Royals fans have been clamoring for Royals baseball downtown. Currently, the Royals’ Kauffman Stadium is located on the outskirts of the city along I-70. Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium have been neighbors at the Truman Sports Complex since the early 1970s.

The Chiefs are capitalizing on the dynastic run headlined by head coach Andy Reid, two-time NFL MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, and All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones.

While the Royals aren’t in the same stratosphere of success - one playoff appearance since winning the World Series in 2015 - they are in an opportunistic window with star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., 25, locked up as the face of the franchise for the next decade.

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 4:59 PM.