KANSAS CITY, Mo., Nov. 16 - In a move that surprised even the Chiefs, the National Football League awarded a Super Bowl to Kansas City on Wednesday. The decision was contingent on significant improvements being made to Arrowhead Stadium, including the addition of a rolling roof.

Kansas City is likely to be the host for Super Bowl XLIX or LI, in 2015 or 2017, as a way to honor the 50th anniversary of the Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt's leadership role in the N.F.L. It would be just the fourth cold-weather game in Super Bowl history, including the February 2006 game in Detroit. Super Bowl XXVI was in Minneapolis, and Super Bowl XVI was in Pontiac, Mich.

The proposed rolling roof would provide weather protection for the Super Bowl but allow open-air games in the regular season.

"Happy day for us and happy day for Kansas City," Hunt said, "and I think it will lead to some great things as far as the total renovation of the sports complex. We think it's an exceptional opportunity for mid-America, for Jackson County and this community."

The N.F.L. is again dipping its toe into a local debate over stadium development, as it did when it awarded a conditional Super Bowl to New York, contingent on the Jets' building a stadium on Manhattan's West Side. When the Jets failed to win approval for the stadium earlier this year, the game was awarded to Miami.

The Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals are negotiating with Jackson County for about $465 million in public money for improvements and expansion of Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums, according to The Kansas City Star. The roof addition, which could also be used to cover neighboring Kauffman, could add as much as $200 million to the cost of the renovations.

A lease negotiated in 1990 stipulated that the two stadiums would be maintained in state-of-the-art condition, with no caps on expenditures. But the teams currently receive only $8.5 million annually in city, county and state money -- far below what is needed to maintain the complex. The Chiefs had proposed about $312 million in renovations for Arrowhead alone, The Star reported, with the team contributing at least $50 million -- but that was before the roof. The N.F.L. would help the Chiefs finance a portion of the renovation through a program that offers low-interest loans for stadium work.

Local voters are likely to face a referendum in April calling for a sales-tax increase of three-eighths of a cent for at least 25 years to finance most of the work. In awarding the Super Bowl, the league is clearly trying to sway that vote in the Chiefs' favor. Despite the team's popularity in the region and Hunt's standing as a beloved public figure, approval is not a given.

Last November, a bi-state vote in Missouri and Kansas to finance stadium improvements and the arts was defeated. And a group of Kansas City business and civic leaders is exploring whether money would be better spent building a baseball stadium downtown.



"It's obviously helpful for getting the renovation plan for Arrowhead," Jon Copaken, the executive director of the Downtown Council of Kansas City, said of the Super Bowl. The Council is leading the interest in a downtown baseball stadium. "And whether that is the type of thing that causes people on the baseball side to look the other way at a huge economic development opportunity for the city and go ahead with the renovation plan for the other half of the package, I don't know. Our efforts are not working counter to renovations and Super Bowls at Arrowhead. Our objective is to come up with something that is successful at the ballot so both goals can be accomplished."

The rolling roof was part of the original concept for the construction of the Truman Sports Complex, which includes Arrowhead and Kauffman. But when costs for the construction ran high in the early 1970's, the idea was shelved. Now, voters will have to decide if the roof and the renovations are again too expensive.

The chairman of the Jackson County Sports Authority, Mike Smith, says that the promise of a Super Bowl will be enough to make a difference. "This gives us the sizzle to put together a package for voters," he said.

San Diego does just fine.

In fact, parking is 20-40 depending on the lots. tons of restaurants and bars within WALKING distance of the entrance to Petco as well.

but yeah, you need good trolley/public transit to get 25% or more of the attendance there.

Interesting. I thought with the new Highmark, the seats all had to be enclosed but maybe this just means covered, not climate controlled.

Yes, that was also mentioned in whatever I read, Buffalo just doesn't have enough or the quality of hotel rooms, transportation facilities, etc., to host an event like that.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.co...t4.ashx?mw=408

https://www.stadiumpage.com/future/KC68.JPG

https://frontofficesports.com/wp-con...pg?quality=100

Looks like an option for TWO rolling roofs was thought of at some point but I really like the single roof that covers the middle area for activities and such. Looking at that 3rd picture you can easily see how this would work and how they actually designed the stadiums to at some point include the rolling roof.

This could get ugly. Let the mudslinging begin. This is one of the other county legislators. We'll have to see if this is true though.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The county executive (who’s parking spot is empty at the county) has now unilaterally told the attorneys, hired by the County to negotiate, to cease all action’s to get terms finalized by Monday. Thus, preventing needed information requested by the legislators from being…</p>&mdash; Manny Abarca (@MannyAbarcaIV) <a href="https://twitter.com/MannyAbarcaIV/status/1748467608532173227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I've stayed in the Gaslamp and went to Petco many times. That's baseball, with 30,000 folks some nights, and 15,000 or less on many. Also have the tram running about 8 blocks from there as you said. KC would be a disaster, especially with measureable snow.

So basically Frank vetoed it so he can squeeze a better payout for his own pockets, not to do anything for the taxpayers. Reminds me of some of the stuff I see in my own town. Roads need major attention, but the city board approves a silly hotel & convention complex that won't make the city a better place to live.

KC's proposal several years ago included hotel rooms in Topeka and St. Joe.

Yep, KC I assumed was fine, but Buffalo wouldn't be.

Franks a POS. But I am okay with Kansas getting the royals and their bloated as demands. Let them pay for it.
Chiefs stay and Kaufman is turned to a entertainment district with a moving roof.
Imagine a top golf, bars restaurants, mini golf pickle ball and stage under the moving roof. Then can move to the stadium when needed.

The ask is still just the extension of the 18 year old existing sales tax right?

I mean everything else is on the teams or has that changed?

I wonder if that would clear the new monster press box that used to not be there.

Well yeah that's kinda my point, a downtown stadium wouldn't work and there's no way that the infrastructure to make it work would happen

Keep the stadium where it is and develop around it would be a better solution

Why should there be a vote on it when we don't even know where the stadium will be?