TOPEKA — Kansas has long been recognized — derided even — as a “flyover state,” Gov. Laura Kelly lamented Monday.
No longer.
As of Monday, with the announcement that the Kansas City Chiefs will soon call the Sunflower State home, Kansas has declared itself a “touchdown state,” Kelly said.
“We have always been Chiefs fans,” Kelly said. “Now, we are Chiefs family.”
Kelly spoke at a press conference alongside Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, Lt. Gov. David Toland, and members of the Legislative Coordinating Council, which unanimously approved the funding mechanism for what is billed as a $4.4 billion investment.
The $3 billion domed stadium will be located in Wyandotte County, Kelly said, which already calls the Kansas Speedway and The Legends, a retail and entertainment district, home. The area is also home to the Major League Soccer team Sporting Kansas City and the Kansas City Monarchs’ Legends Field.
On top of the stadium, the Chiefs will build a new headquarters and training facility in Olathe.
The Chiefs will begin playing in Kansas in 2031.
Toland, who also serves as Secretary of Commerce, declared the agreement as the largest economic development project in the state’s history and one that “cements Kansas as a global destination for sports and entertainment.”
“Kansas has had a streak of big economic wins, but nothing bigger than this,” he said. “This is truly once-in-a-generation.”
With Kansas becoming the home of the Kansas City Chiefs, “we’re making national and global news for the right reasons,” he emphasized.
KELLY SAID the $4 billion construction project will create 20,000 jobs.
The governor emphasized the agreement does not create any new taxes for Kansans. The Chiefs will fund the project with private funds as well as about $60 million in Kansas Sales Tax and Revenue Bonds, more commonly known as STAR bonds, which come from revenues generated by the stadium and surrounding entertainment venues, and lottery funds.
Kansas legislators approved STAR bonds for the project last summer.
Hunt consoled those who may be unhappy with the announcement.
“The location of Chiefs games will change,” Hunt said, “but some things won’t change. Our fans will still be the loudest in the NFL, our games will still be the best place in the world to tailgate, and our players and coaches will be ready to compete for championships, because on the field or off the field, we are big dreamers, and we’re ready for the next chapter.”
