TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas lawmakers are poised to vote Monday on a proposal that could lure the Kansas City Chiefs across the state line from Missouri, and replace popular but aging Arrowhead Stadium with a new facility capable of hosting major year-round events.
The meeting of the Legislative Coordinating Council, which includes the state’s top lawmakers, is expected to be attended by Chiefs owner Clark Hunt and other team officials. If the proposal is passed, the Chiefs could move swiftly in announcing plans to depart their 53-year-old home at the Truman Sports Complex for a stadium that could cost upwards of $2 billion.
The state’s proposal would allow for STAR bonds to be issued to cover up to 70% of the overall cost of the project. They would be paid off with state sales and liquor tax revenues generated in a defined area around the sports complex.
The same bonding process was used to build Kansas Speedway and the surrounding shopping and entertainment district, known as The Legends, in Kansas City, Kansas — the area where a future stadium for the Chiefs is most likely to be built.
The area is also home to Children’s Mercy Park, where Sporting Kansas City of Major League Soccer plays its home matches.
“The state of Kansas is in active discussions with the Kansas City Chiefs about the prospects of building a new stadium and other facilities in Kansas,” the Kansas Department of Commerce said last week. “No final agreement has been reached, but this would be a massive economic win for Kansas and benefit Kansans for generations to come. We are aggressively pursuing this opportunity.”
The move by the Chiefs would be a massive blow to Missouri lawmakers and Gov. Mike Kehoe, who have been working on a package of their own to prevent a second NFL franchise in a decade from leaving their borders. The Rams departed St. Louis for Los Angeles a decade ago in part because of their inability to secure funding to help replace The Dome at America’s Center.
Kehoe backed a special legislative session in June to authorize bonds covering up to 50% of the cost of new or renovated stadiums, plus up to $50 million of tax credits for each stadium and unspecified aid from local governments.
The special session came in response to Kansas lawmakers approving their bond package.
The Chiefs originally planned an $800 million renovation of Arrowhead Stadium in a joint effort with the Kansas City Royals, who are similarly planning to build a new facility to replace Kauffman Stadium – which sits a couple of hundred yards across a parking lot from Arrowhead Stadium – when the two teams’ leases with Jackson County, Missouri, expire in January 2031.
But after county voters soundly defeated a local sales tax extension last year, the Royals and Chiefs began work on separate plans.
The Royals will not be discussed by Kansas lawmakers Monday, but momentum appears to be building behind their own move across the state line. An affiliate of the club already has purchased the mortgage on a tract of land in Overland Park, Kansas.
Quinton Lucas, the mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, has been working to keep both franchises on the Missouri side of the state line. He said in a statement over the weekend that negotiations had continued with the Chiefs throughout last week.
“We’ll reserve further comment until we hear from the Kansas City Chiefs,” Lucas said.
Hunt has long said his preference was to renovate Arrowhead Stadium, which was beloved by his father and team founder, the late Lamar Hunt. It is considered one of the jewels of the NFL, alongside Lambeau Field in Green Bay, and is revered for its tailgating scene and home-field advantage; it currently holds the Guinness World Record for the loudest stadium roar.
This summer, Arrowhead Stadium will host six World Cup matches, including matches in the Round of 32 and quarterfinals.
The Hunt family has warmed in recent years to the idea of leaving their own mark by building its replacement, though. Not only would a new, state-of-the-art stadium provide new revenue streams, through luxury seating and accompanying development, but a fixed or retractable roof would allow it to be used year-round. That would mean the potential to host concerts and events, college football bowl games, the Final Four and one of Lamar Hunt’s long-held dreams: a Super Bowl.
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Hanna reported from Topeka. Skretta reported from Kansas City, Missouri.
