Leawood official weighs in on Royals stadium issue
Leawood leaders wouldn't speak to FOX4 on camera, but they actually sent us a statement on this issue on Friday, July 25. The reason we haven't released that until now is that they wouldn't talk to us on camera that day or on August 7.
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One person who talked to us Thursday, though, was Republican State House Representative Sean Tarwater from Stilwell.
'We strongly support our local sports teams and the sense of community and pride they bring to our region,' Leawood Strategic Communications Director Beth Breitenstein said.
'If a site in close proximity to Leawood is ultimately selected by the Royals, we look forward to engaging with the community on this opportunity.'
'I think that they're hearing feedback from their constituents of the concern of it being in the Leawood proximity,' Tarwater said after FOX4 read him Leawood's statement.
Tarwater says he thinks there's a traffic concern from people in this area. Tarwater added that nothing's been decided.
'There's going to have to be a lot of thought and effort put into infrastructure to alleviate the traffic issues,' he continued.
'Currently, it's already congested as it is. You add in another 20 to 30 thousand people into the mix on a daily basis, 81 games a year over the summer, you're going to cause quite a mess.'
The Kansas City Royals wouldn't comment on our story Thursday, but questions have been raised about the 119th and Nall site after the team announced in late May that an affiliate of theirs bought the mortgage on the Aspiria campus.
Team Chairman and CEO John Sherman is looking for a new stadium for his team once their lease is done at Kauffman Stadium after the 2030 Major League Baseball season.
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Park Place is just northeast of 119th and Nall in Leawood's city limits. Resident Teddy McIntosh told FOX4 Thursday he doesn't think that site across the street in Overland Park is a good idea for the Royals.
'I know what the stadiums over there where they're at now, everything around it is kind of a blighted area,' McIntosh said.
'The Adam's Mark big hotel has just been sitting vacant for I don't know how many years now, and is that what we want to our area? I don't think we do.'
The Adam's Mark Hotel, east of Kauffman Stadium, has been vacant since 2020.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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