KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Matt Anthony owns his Crossroads building and runs his nonprofit, Head for the Cure Foundation, fighting back against hard-to-cure brain cancer.
Uncomfortable ideas come with the territory.
“This is the dissonance of this whole thing today, that the Royals, of course. are central to our city’s development and I wonder what [Mr. Kauffman] might be thinking today,” Anthony said.
The Royals announcement about the team’s new proposed ballpark in the Crossroads District came with some shock for the people, like Anthony, who are already there.
The renderings take Anthony’s Oak Street location off the map. The ballpark would border Grand to the west, I-670 to the north, Locust Street to the east, and 17th Street to the south.
“I think I’m standing maybe just behind shortstop, in early right field, and nobody bothered to knock on my door, I’m here every day, and say, ‘Hey, we’re thinking about this, what do you think,” Anthony said.
Anthony holds the season tickets that have been in his family for more than five decades. He’s been going to game regularly since soon after the team left Municipal Stadium. He knew there was a chance that the ballpark might displace his non-profit and the building’s tenants, but the lack of information before it was official stings.
“The least they can do is let us know what their plans are to displace us,” Anthony said.
The Crossroads Community Association opted not to do an interview with FOX4 Tuesday while they take in the announcement, but they tell FOX4 they’ll fight to protect small businesses and preserve the Crossroads culture that draw in people like Anthony in the first place.
“It’s such a great neighborhood, and what I love about it is the eclectic truth about what you find in this area, I love coming here everyday in this stage of my life because it’s so vibrant,” he added.
The Community Association says there will be meetings and survey’s next week to gage how the neighborhood is taking the news.
Royals President of Business Operations Brooks Sherman told reporters Tuesday that the team will be negotiating directly with property owners to acquire the land they need for the ballpark.
“Those are negations that we’re in now, that are underway now, and we would expect to acquire those properties, working with those owners in short order,” Sherman said. “That’s what we’re in the process of doing today.”
Anthony said he hasn’t heard from the team yet and is ready to strike a deal while hoping that property owners like him are treated fairly for the investment they’ve put into their businesses and properties already.
He says he thinks and hopes he’ll be able to enjoy a game in the new ballpark with a target completion date of April of 2028, but right now, the thought stings. The great irony is that the third ballpark in team his story will make him move for the downtown baseball environment he loves in so many other places.
“I’m supportive of [downtown baseball,] as I believe many in Kansas City are, but, consideration, you have to have consideration,” Anthony said.