The Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas Governor Laura Kelly today announced that an agreement has been reached to build a stadium and a mixed-use entertainment district, as well as a new team headquarters, training facility, and mixed-use development in Kansas.
The deal includes a $3 billion stadium in Wyandotte County which will open at the start of the 2031 NFL season; and a new Chiefs headquarters and training facility in the City of Olathe in Johnson County. Both sites will have mixed-use developments that could include sports, entertainment, dining, shopping, office, hotel, and residential properties.
“Today is an extraordinary day in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “We are excited to partner with the State of Kansas to bring a world-class stadium to our fans. This project represents another step in our legacy of innovation and our fan-first mentality, which started with my father, Lamar Hunt. The stadium, practice facility, and surrounding development will benefit the entire region, and further elevate Kansas City in the eyes of the country and the world.”
The agreement will be a public-private partnership (60% public/40% private) between the Chiefs and the state – and it will require no funds from the current state budget and no new taxes on Kansans.
The public portion is funded through Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonds and the Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund – both funding mechanisms established specifically for this purpose – to ensure that there will be no new state taxes and no impact on the state budget. The STAR bonds were authorized today by a bipartisan vote of the Legislative Coordinating Council.
The STAR bonds have two components: (1) It allows the state to designate a portion of new state sales tax revenues generated by this project in neighboring communities to fund this project; (2) It allows Wyandotte County and the City of Olathe to designate a portion of their local sales tax revenue generated by this project to pay for it.
Jackson County Executive Phil LaVota released the following statement:
“I, like the people of Jackson County, the state of the Missouri, and the millions of members of Chiefs Kingdom, are disappointed that the Chiefs are taking measures to build a new stadium in Kansas and abandoning the iconic Arrowhead Stadium that has so much history to the area and to the National Football League.
The Kansas City Chiefs are more than a football team, they are part of the fabric of this community, and this is where their legacy and the Hunt family legacy was built.
The Chiefs have started their plan for making a move and we respect their decision. We don’t agree with it but we can respect our team moving in their financial interests. At the same time, it is deeply disappointing to the taxpayers of Missouri and Jackson County who have supported this team and invested in Arrowhead Stadium for generations.
Jackson County remains confident that we have put forward the best plan, one that protects the team, protects the community, and respects the taxpayer. I was never going to ask for a tax increase for the team but our partnership created a plan to keep the team while lowering taxes. Our proposal is still grounded in experience, transparency, and a clearly defined long-term maintenance strategy that has been proven over time. That commitment is why Arrowhead Stadium has remained one of the best professional sport stadiums in the world. We, like everyone else, will look for the details of the Star Bonds proposal closely. I do know that the devil is in the details and those still have to be ironed out.
Today was an initial step towards the Chiefs’ move and we wish them luck but our unprecedented Missouri team consisting of the Missouri Governor, the state legislature, the Kansas City Mayor and the City Council, and Jackson County Executive and the County Legislature will still be the team that has put the best plan for the Chiefs. Missourians do not give up easily. The Chiefs are still Jackson County’s team for many years and we will remain supportive of them but also are here with a plan in case the “shock and awe” Kansas proposal isn’t as wonderful as we are hearing it is. Go Chiefs Kingdom!”
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt responded, “I want to thank the State of Missouri, Jackson County, and the City of Kansas City for their long-standing partnership. I look forward to watching Chiefs football at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium together over the next five seasons. Above all, I want to thank Chiefs Kingdom. You are the heartbeat of this organization. You are the reason we do what we do. And I can’t wait to stand beside you as we approach this next chapter in Chiefs history.”