Heavy hitters see downtown stadium as linchpin

[jiveturkey]

I think that this will make it easier to accomodate a new Arrowhead. A dowtown stadium would also be a lot more fun IMO.

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/

With Bistate II defeated, KC business leaders spot an opening

By KEVIN COLLISON

The Kansas City Star


The quest for a downtown ballpark is on, with the Downtown Council expected to take the first swing today and City Manager Wayne Cauthen on deck.

Cauthen was a top city official in Denver during the 1990s and saw how downtown redevelopment benefited from the construction of Coors Field. Cauthen said this week in an interview that the momentum of the current building boom in downtown Kansas City should lead people to believe similar results could be achieved here.

“I've seen it happen before,” Cauthen said. “We here in Kansas City are getting ready to experience a renaissance, and I think things tend to mushroom. When people see this and that can-do attitude that we have in the city, people will say, ‘Gosh, that's a no-brainer.' ”

The Downtown Council, an organization of influential business and property owners, plans to officially announce its support for a ballpark at its annual luncheon today at the Kansas City Marriott Downtown. The group commissioned a $100,000 downtown ballpark feasibility study earlier this year, but kept it under wraps at the request of supporters of the Bistate II initiative.

Bistate II would have financed extensive renovations of Kauffman and Arrowhead stadiums to keep the Royals and Chiefs there under newly extended leases, but voters rejected it this month.

“Now, the Downtown Council believes that our greater community should take some time to consider other alternatives, including the possibility of a new downtown baseball park for the Kansas City Royals,” the organization said in a news release.

The group said it expected to have a full-fledged proposal that includes financing options ready to present to the Royals and the public sometime next month.

“At that time, more economic information about the concept will be made available to the public for an open community discussion of the idea,” the group said.

The endeavor faces formidable obstacles, among them: determining a politically palatable way to finance the estimated $330 million cost, persuading Jackson County to relinquish its decades-long grip on the Royals at Truman Sports Complex and convincing Royals owner David Glass it's the right move for his club over the long term.

Backers are confident they'll be able to find solutions to all those problems. They're also convinced that moving the Royals would not only be good for downtown economic development but for the team's financial future as well.

“When you look at the best interests of the ball team, it's selling tickets,” said Andi Udris, president and CEO of the Economic Development Corp. of Kansas City. “Who better to sell more tickets than downtown businesses? Employees and clients can finish their day, have dinner and go to a ballgame to cap it off.”

Glass, who was in Southern California on business, said in a telephone interview that the new initiative had caught him off-guard.

“I'm totally out of the loop on this,” he said. “But I think if there was a real plan to be considered that I would have heard about it.”

Mike Gorris, senior vice president for business operations for the Royals, said he had had discussions with downtown ballpark supporters last summer but was unaware of the renewed effort.

“Our focus has been on bistate,” Gorris said. “Now, our focus is on the master plan to determine an exact schedule of work to be done on Kauffman Stadium.”

The Downtown Council said its research had found downtown ballparks generally generate better weekday attendance than do outlying ballparks and are more attractive to corporate suite owners and corporate season ticket holders.

“These are the factors why 15 of 17 new downtown baseball parks since 1990 have been constructed as part of downtown revitalization,” the organization said.

While no potential sites are expected to be mentioned today, two locations were studied by Downtown Council consultants earlier this year. One was at the north end of the Crossroads area, around 16th and Main streets, and the other was on the north edge of the central business district, around Seventh and Wyandotte streets.

The Crossroads location already is running into opposition from some property owners in the area.

Also the Urban Society of Kansas City, a new group formed to advocate better urban planning and design in the city, wants to participate in the ballpark discussion. It is proposing to examine five potential downtown sites and make recommendations to the city.

Besides the two sites that have been studied, the Urban Society of Kansas City plans to examine potential sites at Washington Park, across from Crown Center; a site southeast of Ilus W. Davis Park on the east side of the downtown loop; and a site in the 18th and Vine area.

In a letter to Kansas City Council members, David E. Scott, the president of the Urban Society of Kansas City, said his group wanted to ensure an unbiased and public process for reviewing the concept.

“In so doing, we hope to enrich the discussion, broaden community participation and increase support for any ultimate direction taken by the city on this matter,” he wrote.

Cauthen said a crucial question confronting supporters is financing. That means deciding whether the project would be something the city could attempt on its own or whether it would have to partner with Jackson County or, perhaps, the entire metropolitan area.

The Downtown Council statement referred to the ballpark initiative as being something the “greater community” should consider, but it didn't offer specifics.

“The things I want to deal with right now are looking at the structure, what are the best taxes for us to deal with and how much of the commitment should be public versus private,” Cauthen said.

A prime potential revenue source discussed earlier this year was increasing the cigarette tax, he said, but that idea may have to be reviewed in light of the current push to ban smoking in bars and restaurants in Kansas City.

The city manager did say that if other metropolitan communities were asked to help finance a downtown ballpark, it would be appropriate for the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority to expand its board.

“We all talk about one Kansas City and regionalization,” he said.

“It's going to be important for all of us to work together as one region to make sure these amenities stay in this area.”

The consultants hired by the Downtown Council earlier this year were the Barrett Sports Group LLC of Los Angeles and Jacobs, Chase Frick, Kleinkopf & Kelly LLC, a Denver law firm.

Their credentials include work on Coors Field and on Petco Field, the new downtown ballpark in San Diego.

Cauthen also said that Rick Horrow, a national expert who was working with the city on the Sprint Center downtown arena project, also would be asked to review the proposal.

Kansas City Councilman John Fairfield, a strong supporter of downtown baseball, thinks a plan should be ready in short order to present to the public.

“I've been working with a number of individuals, fine-tuning the numbers,” he said. “We need a plan that's practical, easy for the public to understand and one we can take to the Royals. That all has to happen pretty quickly.”

As to when downtown ballpark advocates plan to talk to Glass, Cauthen said only when they're satisfied they have a strong case.

“We have to get our proposal together, get our act together … and have that meeting with Mr. Glass to tell him these are our intentions and hope there's back and forth with him.”