Chiefs press on with arena negotiations on both sides of
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP)– The Kansas City Chiefs are making development in stadium negotiations with legislators on both sides of the Kansas-Missouri state line, though it remains uncertain whether the team will remain at Arrowhead Stadium or eventually move elsewhere.The Chiefs just recently
were approved an extension to an end-of-June deadline for a funding bundle from the state of Kansas, an indicator that the NFL franchise’s prospective relocation from its longtime home in Missouri is a legitimate possibility.Advertisement Missouri has countered with a funding
package signed by Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe following a special session of the state legislature.”We’ve had more meetings, more conversations,”Chiefs president Mark Donovan stated Tuesday.”At this point it’s literally– you’re taking an arrangement this long and whittling it down to this paragraph and this line, and we need an arrangement on this, and we’re doing this on both sides. You’re in that procedure where you’re unsure which way it will go.”The Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals have bet more than 5 years at the Truman Sports Complex on the east side of Kansas City, Missouri, where Arrowhead Stadium and Kauffman Stadium share parking facilities. But leases with Jackson County are because of expire in January 2031, and the two franchises have been trying to plot a course forward for years.Last year, Jackson County citizens defeated a sales tax extension that would have helped to finance an$800 million remodelling of Arrowhead Stadium– the home of the Chiefs– and a$2 billion ballpark district for the Royals in downtown Kansas City.Advertisement Now, the franchises are pursuing their own courses in landing an arena deal.In the case of Missouri, legislation has authorized bonds covering
to 50 %of the cost of brand-new or refurbished arenas in the state, plus approximately $50 countless tax credits for each arena and unspecified aid from local governments. Legislators in Kansas have actually authorized up to 70% of the expense of new stadiums to be integrated in their state.Chiefs owner Clark Hunt has acknowledged a deep nostalgic accessory to Arrowhead Arena, which was developed by his daddy and group creator Lamar Hunt when he moved the franchise
from Dallas.But the most visible face of the Chiefs ownership family likewise is an astute business person, and he understands the value of profits streams created by a new center. So while an extensive restoration
of Arrowhead stays a possibility, so does an enclosed stadium that could satisfy Hunt’s desire to one day host the Super Bowl, Final 4 and other big events.Advertisement The Royals, on the other hand, have made it clear that restorations to Kauffman Arena are not going to happen.Principal owner John Sherman has actually expressed a desire for downtown baseball, and alternatives there still exist. However news emerged about a month ago that an affiliate
of the Royals acquired the mortgage on a large property in the southern Kansas City residential area of Overland Park, Kansas, raising the possibility of
constructing a new stadium and ballpark district there.”Our job, and the team around me, is to get the 2 best possible partnerships figured out to the detail, “Donovan said, soon before the Chiefs took the field for their first full-squad workout on training camp at Missouri Western.”At that point we go to the Hunt family and state,’ Here are the choices. What do you wish to do?'”It’s the information of those deals. What deal makes one of the most sense from a company perspective, a future point of view? What makes the most sense for our fans and the next generation? There are a great deal of strong arguments on both sides. “___ AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports