A Kansas City Jewish Community Center is asking Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals to reconsider its proposed site for a new stadium.
According to Fox 4, the national JCC Association of North America sent a letter to Kansas governor Laura Kelly and lieutenant governor David Toland to express deep concerns about the Royals choice of locations for the new stadium.
“Recent reports about possible plans to build a Kansas City Royals stadium adjacent to the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City’s Overland Park campus have raised significant concerns that we wish to share with you,” the letter said.
The national association said it the JCC has operated at its current location for nearly 40 years and invested tens of millions of dollars toward 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 association wrote.
“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 long-term impact of more than 80 home games annually would create sustained pressures on infrastructure, safety, security and the JCC’s ability to function.”
The association said the consequences of the project could destabilize the local JCC.
“The potential harm to the JCC’s Overland Park campus and the communities it serves would be profound,” the letter said.
“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 Kansas City Royals declined to comment on the matter.
