-
Adam Teicher, ESPN Staff Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt said the team would look at options beyond renovating Arrowhead Stadium as it searches for a home beyond the expiration of its lease following the 2030 season.
“We will approach it from a broader perspective going forward because time is short for us at this point and so we need to see what other options are out there for us,” Hunt said. “When we started on this process three years ago, it felt like we had a very long time, a long runway with about 9½ [years] left on our lease. We’re now down to 6½ and so I do feel very much of a sense of urgency.
“Arrowhead is a special place for our family and our fan base. That was one of the reasons that we focused on it with the last effort, but going forward it may make more sense for us to be in a new stadium.”
Voters in Jackson County, Missouri, rejected a sales tax measure earlier this month that would have helped fund major renovations to Arrowhead as well as build a new ballpark for MLB’s Royals in downtown Kansas City.
Options for a stadium for the Chiefs elsewhere in the Kansas City area include building on the Kansas side of the state line.
The Chiefs had committed to contribute $300 million to the Arrowhead renovations, which had an overall cost of $800 million. The plan to renovate Arrowhead and build a new stadium for the Royals was rejected by almost 60% of voters. It would have replaced a three-eighth-cent sales tax with a similar tax for the next 40 years.
Hunt indicated the Chiefs and Royals would work on separate plans for funding their new stadiums.
“At this point it makes sense for both of us to work independently,” Hunt said. “There’s certainly nothing to preclude us coming back and doing something together, but [Royals owner John Sherman] also feels that sense of urgency and I know he’s eager to try to find a long-term solution, which we are as well.
“Stadium development projects just take a long time and I don’t want to put a specific number on it, but with only 6½ years left on the lease, we’re going to have to work very hard over the next year, year and a half to see if we can find an option.”