National JCC Association Urges Royals to Seek New Stadium Site

Concerns Over New Royals Stadium Impacting Local Jewish Community Center

Overland Park, Kansas — A national organization representing local Jewish Community Centers has expressed significant concerns about the potential construction of a new Kansas City Royals stadium near the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City’s campus in Overland Park. The JCC Association of North America (JCCA) sent a letter to Governor Laura Kelly and Lieutenant Governor David Toland outlining its worries.

The letter stated that recent reports of possible plans to build the stadium adjacent to the JCC's location have raised serious issues that need to be addressed. The JCCA emphasized that the center has been operating at its current site for nearly 40 years and has invested millions of dollars into improving and expanding its facilities over the past two decades.

"We are deeply concerned about the consequences of constructing a stadium immediately next to the JCC’s campus," the letter said. "Multi-year heavy construction, traffic congestion, parking challenges, environmental disruption, and public safety and security risks would significantly compromise daily operations and access to essential programs for members, families, seniors, and those with special needs."

The association highlighted that the long-term impact of hosting more than 80 home games annually would create sustained pressures on infrastructure, safety, and the JCC's ability to function effectively. It described the potential harm as "devastating" and warned that it could threaten the stability of the local JCC.

"We urge state and local leadership, as well as the Kansas City Royals organization, to consider the serious risks this proposal presents and to pursue an alternative location for the stadium," the letter concluded.

While the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, known as "The J," has not commented on the stadium possibilities, former Board Chair Bob Grant shared his concerns. He mentioned that the presence of a baseball stadium nearby could negatively affect the center's daycare services.

"They at five o'clock on a game night, they’re going to have to fight traffic to come pick up their child after work," Grant said. "How are they going to do that? How are we going to control and let them go get their child and pick their child up?"

Grant also noted the financial implications of relocating the JCC, stating that the cost would be "north of eight figures." The Kansas City Royals have not responded to requests for comment, but some residents, like commercial realtor Taner Neighbors, support the idea of building the stadium near 119th Street and Nall Avenue.

Neighbors explained that some residents who favor the stadium are hesitant to speak out due to fear. "It’s a change and fortunately for us, it’s not a change that’s going to happen tomorrow," he said. "It’s going to take many, many years for this to get here, and so I think that people think it’s going to happen tomorrow when it’s going to take five years for this to actually come to fruition."

The Royals' lease at the Truman Sports Complex is set to expire in 2030. Neighbors, who commutes along Nall Avenue daily, noted that traffic is already a challenge. "The traffic is bad twice a day, and at the time that the Royals would be playing, that traffic has already gone down."

Summer home games for the Royals typically start at 6:40 p.m. on weekdays, 7:10 p.m. on Friday nights, and 6:10 p.m. on Saturday nights. The JCCA continues to advocate for a solution that protects the community and its vital services.