Kansas City Royals chairman and CEO John Sherman released a letter to the community and fan base on Tuesday detailing plans for the team's vision to build a new "ballpark district" over the coming years. (The full letter can be read in PDF form here, on the team's new ballpark-specific website.) Last November, the Royals stated their intention to move into a new ballpark before their lease at Kauffman Stadium expires in 2031.
Per Sherman's letter, the Royals will be publishing more details concerning two potential stadium sites: one located in Jackson County, the other in Clay County.
"We plan to announce which site will best fulfill our pledge to create 1) powerful community impact, 2) generate sustainable economic activity in the county, city and state, and 3) greater opportunity for the citizens of our region," Sherman wrote.
Additionally, the letter promises the usual economic gains that teams always put forth as justification for later requesting public funding. To wit:
Anchored by the new ballpark, the construction project alone is expected to generate over 20,000 jobs, $1.4 billion in labor income and $2.8 billion in total economic output from construction and labor income during the 3-plus years it will take to build it.
As CBS Sports has reported before, it's worth taking those claims with a massive heaping of salt. These kinds of economic estimates are almost never accurate, and their main purpose is to sell the community (and local politicians) on funding the project.
The Royals have played their home games at Kauffman Stadium since 1973. The only American League ballparks older than The K are Fenway Park, Angel Stadium, and the Oakland Coliseum -- and the Athletics are in the process of attempting to secure their own new stadium, albeit one built in Las Vegas.
