Kansas City Royals Announce Commitments to Crossroads Community Association

Kansas City, MO – The Kansas City Royals announced today commitments to the Crossroads Community Association for the neighborhood around the proposed ballpark district, should voters approve Question 1 on the upcoming April 2 ballot. These commitments are in addition to the largest Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) in Kansas City’s history announced this week by the Royals and the Kansas City Chiefs with Jackson County.

“We are pleased to be collaborating with the Crossroads Community Association to demonstrate how we can invest in and contribute to this part of our city,” said Sarah Tourville, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial and Community Impact Officer for the Kansas City Royals. “We have the opportunity to advance a once-in-a-generation proposal to return baseball to Kansas City’s urban core, and these commitments demonstrate how we can accomplish that as good neighbors.”

Initiatives supported by the Royals will include:

• Small Business Support – including small businesses being displaced under direct impact of the stadium footprint and surrounding development, such as rent support, relocation assistance, tenant improvements, and payroll coverage to help with employee retention.
• Local Business Opportunities – providing opportunities for locally owned businesses to lease space within the stadium and surrounding development at reduced lease pricing to support ongoing small business endeavors.
• Entrepreneurship Support – investing up to $500,000 in community-based organizations that provide entrepreneurship training and support for businesses located in the Crossroads and surrounding areas.
• Construction Mitigation Programs – discussing the scheduling of construction activities with adjacent businesses, residents and property owners to minimize noise and disruption to scheduled activities and assisting small businesses in developing continuity plans to mitigate the impact on their operations.
• Crossroads Community Improvement District (CCID) – actively participating in and financially supporting the formation and ongoing operations of the institution with a focus on safety and clean neighborhoods, including an upfront $50,000 commitment to support formation of the CCID.
• Local Infrastructure – working to enhance infrastructure impacted by the stadium, which shall include focusing on stormwater management, green solutions and sustainable development.
• Traffic Management and Transportation – developing comprehensive plans to manage increased traffic and parking demands, emphasizing public transportation, and sustainable access options.
• Green Spaces – supporting the Crossroads Street Tree Initiative and additional streetscape improvements to adjacent streets.
• Sustainability – constructing the stadium to meet the LEED Gold certification requirements, or similar certification requirements, and working with vendors to develop, implement, and maintain a sustainability operations plan.
• Public Art & Support of Local Arts Community – setting aside up to $5 million of the of the construction cost of the stadium for the acquisition and installation of art around the ballpark and surrounding development, with an emphasis on supporting local artists, and working with groups such as ArtsKC in determining how to integrate artworks into the project.
• Community Engagement & Representation – supporting the CCCID's efforts in enhancing the neighborhood, including incorporating community art and cultural representations in the stadium design, and seeking to enhance connections with the 18th & Vine Jazz District.
• Local Events and Culture – committing to ensuring that street level businesses are operational year-round and that the new stadium and surrounding development is positively contributing to the street level activity in the Crossroads neighborhood.

These commitments are in addition to the historic announcement on Wednesday in which the Chiefs and Royals plan to commit more than $260 million under CBAs to support Jackson County. Further, the two teams are providing more than $200 million in additional economic relief to Jackson County by eliminating its obligation to pay stadium insurance premiums and park levy to the teams.

Distributed by the Committee to Keep the Chiefs and Royals in Jackson County, Whitney Beaver, Treasurer

Media Contact:

Sam Mellinger, Kansas City Royals – sam.mellinger@royals.com