Opposition to a potential Royals baseball stadium at Overland Park’s Aspiria campus has been so strong among Leawood residents and businesses that the Leawood City Council released a letter Monday night opposing it in no uncertain terms.
Councilmembers and Mayor Marc Elkins said they have been flooded with letters from the public against a new stadium for the Kansas City Royals at Aspiria, on the former Sprint campus at 119th and Nall Avenue. The location would put the stadium directly across the street from Leawood.
For more than a year now, the Royals have been hunting for a new location for a future ballpark, and the Aspiria campus is one of multiple locations that have been mentioned since Jackson County, Missouri, voters last year rejected a proposal to fund a downtown stadium.
The team’s owners have not named a preferred location, but the Overland Park site has officially been in the running since a Royal’s affiliate acquired the mortgage on it in spring 2025.
Leawood letter cites concerns of noise, lighting, public safety, transparency, etc.
Mayor Marc Elkins. File photo.
The Leawood City Council’s statement mentions concerns over noise, lighting, public safety and emergency access, among other things. It also cites a “lack of transparency” by the state of Kansas about plans for the site, “which has eroded trust that the residents’ concerns will be heard and meaningfully considered.”
Their letter also mentions recent statements from T-Mobile and the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America, two entities that would be direct neighbors of a ballpark. T-Mobile officials confirmed to the Post last week that they would move their 3,500 local employees if a stadium is built in proximity to their offices on the Aspiria campus.
Councilmembers from Leawood enthusiastically agreed with the statement, which Elkins proposed.
Councilmember Lisa Harrison said residents should be encouraged to “write letters like they’ve never written letters before” to congressional and senatorial representatives, local government officials on either side of the city line, “anybody who calls themselves representatives of Overland Park, Johnson County or the state of Kansas. Get busy folks.”
Councilmember Chuck Sipple said, “People did not move to Leawood to have the commercial establishment like a ball field in their backyard. They like a quiet way of life, an upscale community, and we pride ourselves on our parks and our trees and our safe streets.”
Overland Park residents are ratcheting up opposition, too
Photo credit Kaylie McLaughlin.
In the past month or so, pushback from neighbors on the Overland Park side has also picked up steam. That continued Monday evening as about two dozen residents packed Overland Park City Hall’s lobby, holding signs opposing a stadium at Aspiria.
Most said things like, “Read the room. The people who live, work, go to schools and hospitals, shop and drive here DON’T WANT A STADIUM HERE” and, “All the backroom deals in the world won’t make this stink any less.”
Ace Allen, who lives within walking distance of the Aspiria site in Overland Park, was one such resident.
He said he doesn’t think a stadium would “fit this area at all.”
“This is a well-developed and developing, planned-out suburban community,” Allen said. “It’s almost nonsensical that they would want to put a square peg in a round hole, so to speak. This area is not built for that.”
He said he’s worried about the traffic and safety implications, but also the potential stadium’s proximity to multiple schools, hospitals and the Jewish Community Center. At the same time, Allen is concerned that the elected officials who are supposed to represent him and his neighbors aren’t listening.
“Who are you picking up the phone for when they call? Because it doesn’t look like you’re picking up the phone when I call,” he said.
Some of the people who brought signs to the lobby on Monday also spoke during public comment before the Overland Park City Council. They raised similar issues to those in the lobby: the impact on schools and hospitals, public safety and quality of life.
Overland Park Mayor alludes to residents’ stadium trepidation
Photo credit Kaylie McLaughlin.
Mayor Curt Skoog, who has previously offered qualified support for a potential stadium at Aspiria or in Overland Park, acknowledged the possibility and residents’ concerns about it. It was one of the first times — if not the first time — the topic has come up in a formal public city council setting.
He said that so far, no formal applications for development of a stadium or associated incentives have been submitted to the city, but any that might be submitted would be subject to the same review process as any application.
“The city of Overland Park has a robust development review process. All development proposals must go through that process. It will evaluate issues like traffic, parking, pedestrian, access and noise. The community will have opportunities to share their thoughts and concerns,” Skoog said, echoing previous written statements. “Any stadium development must be good for Overland Park, Johnson County and the state of Kansas. I hope we will learn more from the state of Kansas and the team in the near future.”
Other members of the city council in Overland Park did not share their thoughts from the dais Monday night on the prospect of a Royals stadium in the city.
Kaylie McLaughlin contributed reporting to this story.
Keep reading: ‘Please think twice’ — Residents worry about Royals stadium in Overland Park