Kansas City Chiefs reveal a $800 million vision for the future of Arrowhead Stadium
The Kansas City Chiefs published Wednesday renderings of their rebuilt Arrowhead Stadium at the Harry S. Truman Sports Complex.
The images depict what the Chiefs call a new activation zone and more parking on the site where the Kansas City Royals’ Kauffman Stadium presently stands.
The overall cost of the proposed upgrades is estimated at $800 million. Chiefs Chairman Clark Hunt said the Hunt family would pay $300 million of that sum. Jackson County taxpayers would be on the hook for the balance, paid by the extension of a 3/8th-cent sales tax that is on the April 2 ballot.
While announcing its future ambitions in eastern Jackson County, the Chiefs advocated for a renewal of that tax.
The 3/8th-cent sales tax is supposed to achieve exactly what it’s done since 2006, said Chiefs President Mark Donovan during a press conference Wednesday. It is going to pay for the restoration and maintenance of the structure.
If voters pass the sales tax extension, upgrades at Arrowhead won’t start until after the 2026 World Cup, despite stadium changes for the World Cup being slated to begin after the 2024 Chiefs home season.
The Kansas City Chiefs unveiled on Wednesday their plans for rebuilding Arrowhead Stadium, which include enhancements across all three levels, giving a better experience for every fan that steps into the stadium, according to the team’s website.
Unlike the Royals, who last year cited structural concerns with Kauffman Stadium as one of the key reasons for building a new downtown venue, the Chiefs aim to stay in the same arena bowl over the long run. Arrowhead opened in 1972, one year before Kauffman Stadium.
Donovan chalked the contrast due to construction variations.
Believe it or not, Donovan added, One team got a good batch of concrete, one team didn’t.
Donovan repeated during the news conference that the Royals will pay for the demolition of Kauffman Stadium and that the taxpayers and the county will not have any responsibility for that.
In a statement released after the Chiefs’ revelation, a neighborhood organization opposing the Royals’ departure from the Truman Complex urged citizens to oppose the sales tax extension.
To demolish Kauffman Stadium and replace it with extra VIP suites, at the expense of affordable seating alternatives for the average fan, is unacceptable, writes Becky Nace, chair of the Committee Against New Royals Stadium Taxes.
The Chiefs are effectively pricing out loyal fans from attending games. Further expanding the gap between the affluent few and the hardworking folks of Jackson County.The group also called into question Donovan’s allegation that the Royals’ stadium was built with a substandard batch of concrete.
We stay firm in our opposition to the planned $2 billion in increased sales tax over the next 40 years, which only serves to benefit billionaires at the expense of hardworking residents of Jackson County, added Nace.According to the Chiefs’ website, planned enhancements at Truman Sports Complex are focused on improving Kansas City’s unique tailgate culture. Arrowhead Stadium was last refurbished in 2010.
The Chiefs are working on remodeling plans with the Populous design firm, the same group that the Royals are consulting for their future stadium plans and the state of their current facilities.
The redesigned Arrowhead does not contain a roof, which former owner Lamar Hunt fantasized about.
Jackson County voters rejected a proposal in 2006 that would have funded a moving roof for both stadiums at the Truman Complex, and Clark Hunt said future plans do not involve the concept.
Certainly, I’d like to think that Kansas City has the potential to host a Super Bowl, said Hunt, noting the NFL’s penchant to stage championship games in indoor arenas, but I also know that our football team appreciates playing in the elements.
Kansas City Chiefs designs show new turf-covered areas with tailgating and covered entertainment space erected above the current location of Kauffman Stadium. According to the team’s website, the new facilities would allow for year-round activities.
The Chiefs have also given up on the concept of retail development on the campus after the baseball stadium vanishes.
Right now in this market, this is not a place that is worthy of development, said Donovan. As harsh as that seems, it’s really the truth from a commercial standpoint.
Donovan noted that the Chiefs organization is expecting an extension of the present lease with Jackson County in the very near future. We have a really nice lease. We’ll extend that lease.
But that extension is unlikely to happen without the continuous financial assistance of the state of Missouri, Clark Hunt said.
We would not be willing to sign a lease for another 25 years without the money to fully restore and reinvent the stadium, he stated
