Get the latest updates on the heated debate surrounding the proposed downtown stadium in Kansas City’s Crossroads neighborhood.
Cars driving down the Crossroad neighborhood, image courtesy of Google
“We will fight till the end. We’re not just going to roll over and accept that they get what they want.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. —
We’re hearing more concerns from Crossroads businesses, who lie in the path of the Royals’ new downtown stadium.
Some are strongly against it, some want to learn more about the Royals’ plans, and lots of places are worried about the future of the Crossroads.
“My initial thoughts when I saw that they wanted to put a baseball stadium right on top of us, was that they must be joking,” said Chet Duvenci, owner of Mercy Seat Tattoo.
Mercy Seat has sat on 16th and Grand for 19 years, and Duvenci doesn’t have any intentions of moving for the new ballpark.
“We will fight till the end. We’re not just going to roll over and accept that they get what they want,” Duvenci said.
We spoke to half a dozen businesses on the Grand Street, where the Royals new stadium would be built.
“It will completely wipe out any culture of the Crossroads. Just make us another bland city, just like anywhere else,” Duvenci said.
One business said they plan on meeting with the Royals later this week.
The Royals could not confirm this to us.
“The Royals have not contacted us. They have not made us any kind of offer. Not that we take one anyways,” Duvenci said.
Duvenci said if the 3/8th cent sales tax gets renewed, the authenticity of the Crossroads will be missed.
“I think what I would miss the most is just the culture and the heart and the feeling of what’s here in the Crossroads. It’s not fake. It’s not corporate. It’s locally made and curated,” Duvenci said.
Duvenci said the owner of his building also doesn’t want to move.
Voting for the 3/8th cent sales tax goes starts Tuesday, when in-person absentee voting starts from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Some shared concerns over crime, parking, relocating, and losing the heart and soul of the Crossroads.
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