Government Incentives and Site Selection with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs

There are considerable site selection data items to consider when looking for your project’s location. However, site selection incentives go a long way in making a major economic venture come together. That’s the concrete-and-steel truth beneath one of sports’ biggest stories, the potential move of the Chiefs and Royals from Kansas City to a new city, and new state.

That new city? Kansas City.

Let’s start with some context for clarity before we dive into the technical stuff. First, in case you weren’t aware already, know that neither the Chiefs nor the Royals play in Kansas. They play in Missouri! Their stadiums are safely in the “Kansas City metropolitan area,” a region that stretches into both states and contains 2.2 million residents.

The tricky part is that “Kansas City” is actually two separate Kansas Citys, one in each state, with their own local governments. Those local governments, of course, answer to different state governments.

And here is where the site selection incentives come into play. State lawmakers in Kansas have proposed new bond legislation that would place cash into the state’s tourism industry. They’ve made no secret that this money is earmarked for new stadiums, aimed at “tourists” from right across the border. The bonds would provide up to 70% of the cost to build either one or two new stadiums in Kansas.

“It will bring in a lot of money immediately,” said Kansas State Representative Sean Tarwater. “We are offering our deal to make sure that they stay [in Kansas City area] if Missouri can’t come up with something we certainly will.”

Missouri is absolutely trying to come up with something. Officials in Jackson County, the current location of Arrowhead Stadium, are scrambling to put together a resolution for a countywide sales tax…an option they hope is more attractive to locals than the similar motion that voters rejected during April.

Interesting stuff!

Unfortunately, most site selection doesn’t get headlines like an NFL franchise, and government officials don’t make their pitches quite so obvious. That doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of incentives to be had, however. If you’re looking to build a new manufacturing facility, headquarters, distribution center, medical facility or other major project, you’ll want someone on your side who can help you identify, negotiate, and ensure compliance for incentives. And that’s where Vista Site Selection can help.

Reach out to learn more about our expertise in incentives negotiation across the U.S., and how we can help you on your next project.