Crossroads business owners still concerned about stadium potential
The future home of both the Chiefs and Royals are in question just two days after the Jackson County sales tax lost in a landslide. The future home of both the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals is in question after the Jackson County sales tax lost in a landslide. The Chiefs would have used the money to renovate Arrowhead Stadium and the Royals to build a new ballpark in the East Crossroads. However, Kay Buchheit, wife of The Pairing Wine Shop Founder & Owner Mat Adkins, was a no vote and believes that the Royals need to come up with a better plan. The teams lost the election 58 to 42%. Despite this, Buchheit remains hopeful about the Royals' next move. The Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) between the Royals and the Crossroads was terminated after the election, with board member David Johnson stating the agreement language allowed them to do so.
Published : a month ago by Jonathan Ketz, Brian Dulle in Business
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The future home of both the Kansas City Chiefs and Royals are in question just two days after the Jackson County sales tax lost in a landslide.
The Chiefs would’ve used that money to help renovate Arrowhead Stadium and the Royals would’ve used it to help build a new ballpark in the East Crossroads.
Though just because the vote didn’t pass Tuesday, doesn’t necessarily mean the fight is over in the Crossroads.
Kay Buchheit is the wife of The Pairing Wine Shop Founder & Owner Mat Adkins.
She talked to FOX4 Thursday, just two days after the Royals and Chiefs failed to get sales tax money from Jackson County voters for their stadium projects. The teams lost that election 58 to 42%. Buchheit was a no vote.
“Like you said, we won the first battle, but we need to keep our eyes open still and still pay attention to what their next move is,” she said of the Royals.
Buchheit doesn’t necessarily think her fight’s over.
“I think that there is a lot of work for the Royals to do,” she said. “They need to come up with a better plan. I don’t know that they won’t still come for the Crossroads. They would not deny that they wouldn’t still come to this neighborhood if the vote didn’t pass. They didn’t say they would, but they didn’t deny it.”
A week before the vote, Buchheit was a part of a meeting with Royals President of Business Operations Brooks Sherman.
“We asked if the vote failed, would they still be looking at this neighborhood, and I cant say that they said that they would, but they didn’t deny it,” she continued.
The Royals would not comment Thursday. One group who supported a ‘yes vote’ was the Kansas City Power & Light District. We asked to speak to their President John Moncke Thursday. A spokeswoman for them said he would not be made available.
Wednesday, Mayor Quinton Lucas said a lot of voters wondered why the team picked the specific spot that they did downtown. In August, the only site the Royals had said they were considering in Jackson County was in the East Village within the Downtown Loop, not the East Crossroads.
“So, to me, the answer isn’t necessarily that you just say, ‘Alright, we’re just going to pick a different spot somewhere and foist that upon people,'” Lucas said. “But instead it is to say, maybe there’s a conversation that needs to be had.”
He also said GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium and the Truman Sports Complex will be an important part of the future of Jackson County.
“I do think the Royals will be downtown, but in an arrangement that downtown, the neighborhoods around it, the businesses around it, have had a good conversation with,” Lucas continued.
Crossroads Community Association (CCA) Board Member David Johnson said the Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) the Royals and the CCA signed Tuesday, the day of the election, has since been terminated. The termination happened Wednesday. Johnson said the agreement language allowed them to do that.