A joint venture of Mortenson and McCownGordon has been named construction manager at risk by Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals for the team’s new $1.9-billion ballpark planned at Crown Center in downtown Kansas City, Mo.
Kansas City, Mo.-based JE Dunn will oversee development of a planned 85-acre, $3-billion mixed-use development around the ballpark, an open-air venue expected to encompass 1.25 million sq ft and hold approximately 34,000 seats, including various premium experience levels, within a tight urban footprint that connects with the surrounding district.
“Challenging sites always have the opportunity to create exceptional sports venues,” said Greg Huber, campus director at Mortenson, in an email to ENR. “One of the most interesting challenges will be building a major league ballpark within a tight, active urban environment.”
He added that the project “requires careful planning to safely perform the site-enabling activities such as demolition and excavation, along with all of the vertical construction that will follow. It’s the kind of complexity that demands thoughtful sequencing and close collaboration across the entire community from day one.”
Mortenson and McCown Gordon will also partner with Parson + Associates, a Kansas City-based community engagement firm that will be embedded on the project team as a communication lead, coordinating outreach with Kansas City stakeholders, neighborhood organizations and local trade partners, Huber said.
“Their role is focused on helping the team engage authentically with the community and create meaningful opportunities for Kansas City businesses, trade partners and workers, ensuring the impact of the project extends well beyond the ballpark itself,” Huber says.
Construction of the ballpark is expected to break ground in 2027 and be completed in time for opening day 2030.
Both the Royals and the National Football League’s Kansas City Chief’s currently play at the Truman Sports Complex on the east side of Kansas City. Both teams’ leases with Jackson County, Mo., which owns the complex, are set to expire in 2031. Voters in March 2024 rejected a proposal to extend a current 3/8th-cent sales tax to help pay for demolishing and replacing 51-year-old Kauffman Stadium and to fund renovation of its neighbor, Arrowhead Stadium.
Voters’ rejection of the sales tax extension set off a bidding war between Missouri and neighboring Kansas. In June 2024, Missouri Gov. Mark Kehoe signed the “Show-Me Sports Investment Act,” which authorized bonds to cover up to 50% of stadium costs and $50 million in tax credits for the teams.
However, funding for the Royals’ stadium is not entirely assured. The Missouri Supreme Court in early September heard oral arguments on a question of whether opponents of the state’s tax incentive plan have standing to pursue a lawsuit challenging it.
“We are taking taxpayer money and using it for funding private entities,” Missouri State Sen. Mike Moon (R) told KCTV5 about his opposition to the tax incentives.
Legislation approved in Kansas in 2024 allows Kansas to use sales tax and revenue bonds for National Football League/Major League Baseball stadium projects of at least $1 billion, and enables 70% state bond funding with repayment tied to projected tax revenue in the districts—which have not been identified—where the stadiums would locate.
The Chiefs opted to move to Kansas and plan to build a new $3 billion stadium in Wyandotte County, Kan.; a $300 million practice facility and headquarters in Olathe, Kan.; and $1.2 billion in private developments surrounding both projects.
MANICA is the lead architect for the Chiefs’ planned stadium; HNTB is the architect of record, and CAA ICON is the owner’s representative. No contractor has yet been named.
Source: www.enr.com
