KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The American Royal plans to begin construction of its its new complex in Kansas City, Kansas, next year.
The organization announced Tuesday it has acquired 115 acres in Wyandotte County for its new home. The American Royal announced in 2016 that it would leave Kansas City, Missouri, where it has been since 1899.
Jackie McClaskey, president of the new American Royal campus, said the project’s estimated price has increased from about $160 million to between $220 million and $250 million.
The Kansas City Star reports the organization will receive $80 million in Kansas sales tax revenue, or STAR, bonds, and private fundraising will cover the remaining amount.
McClaskey said the Royal has commitments for about 25% of the fundraising goal.
The Royal has spent about $3 million on design work and its purchase of 47 acres. The remaining land was purchased by the Patterson Family Foundation, named in honor of Cerner co-founder Neal Patterson, who was on the American Royal’s board of directors before he died in 2017.
The new complex includes more than 800,000 square feet of indoor event space, and McClaskey said a private developer is expected to build a hotel and conference center next to the complex.
