The Unified Government’s Economic Development Finance standing committee voted to approve and fast-track to the full commission consideration of a fourth amendment to the Home Field development agreement, moving a set of budget and timing updates closer to final approval while explicitly excluding a requested variance for an on-site cosmetic dent‑repair business.

The amendment, presented June 2 by Home Field representative Richard Napper and UG economic development staff, would update budgets produced in 2021–22, confirm timing tied to a future Star Bond offering, and permit the developer to escrow a $4,350,000 community investment until additional Star Bond funding is secured. Home Field asked the committee to allow that escrow to be invested within six months of the next Star Bond issuance so the money would be ready for the agreed downtown or “historically urban” projects.

The amendment matters because it is intended to complete the development agreement tied to up to $150 million in Star Bond financing for the Home Field campus, which includes the Margaritaville resort, a 150,000‑square‑foot Home Field Showcase Center and an eight‑field baseball complex. “We are not here tonight requesting additional star bonds. We’re not asking for more money. We’re not asking for massive changes to the current development agreement,” Richard Napper told the committee as he summarized the request.

Why it matters: Home Field has already attracted extensive private investment and new uses to Wyandotte County, and the amendment would align contract budgets with post‑pandemic construction costs while preserving the developer’s path to seek the remainder of the originally planned Star Bond funding. Napper told commissioners the project has generated roughly $430 million in invested or caused investment to date, with another $220 million under contract.

Most important facts
- The developer requested updates to line‑item budgets attached to the development agreement and permission to escrow $4,350,000 for a specified economic investment in a downtown/historically urban target area tied to future Star Bond funding. Napper said the escrow would be used “pursuant to the development agreement within six months” of a future issuance.
- Staff and the county’s legal advisor described the amendment as cleaning up dated budget exhibits, confirming changed dealership plans (Hyundai in place of the originally anticipated Jeep move), and removing a reversionary interest in land the UG contributed after key Home Field components opened.
- Home Field asked for a 10‑year “payment‑in‑lieu” (pilot) arrangement for Atlas 9 (an immersive museum), with an agreed starting payment of $100,000 in year one and an annual escalation of about 4%; UG staff said that pilot yields roughly $1.2 million in net revenue over ten years under the proposed terms.
- Home Field emphasized that two earlier withheld bond disbursements tied to performance were released after metrics were met; Napper used that to argue the project is performing to contract expectations.

Discussion highlights and staff position
Chelsea Chisholm, Unified Government economic development director, introduced the item and described the amendment as an update to a 2021–22 development agreement to reflect current costs and the realities of post‑pandemic financing. County legal staff summarized the amendment as “two separate items,” principally budget updates and contract cleanups, and flagged that one requested change—a variance to allow a cosmetic dent‑repair business in the auto mall area—was not included in the amendment because staff and the Department of Commerce concluded it did not fit the Star Bond program’s intended “attractions” uses.

In staff counsel’s words: “The staff … does not feel like a dent repair business is really a Starbond use,” and department staff said similar concerns were raised in conversations with the Kansas Department of Commerce, which monitors the Star Bond program.

Commissioners pressed on timing, enforcement and the public‑private ratio in the catalog of Star Bond disbursements. Napper told the committee he hoped the developer could be back before underwriters in the fall for another Star Bond offering; he estimated a November underwriting timeline if the amendment moved forward. He also noted that the original Star Bond issuance in 2022 produced less than the underwritten amount because market conditions changed between underwriting and sale.

Contested variance excluded from amendment
Home Field requested the commission consider allowing a 10,000‑square‑foot “cosmetic dent repair” facility in the auto mall portion of the project. Developer counsel described the enterprise as an indoor, non‑spray, cosmetic dent repair business serving dealerships, not a paint‑and‑body shop. UG staff and a Commerce representative told the committee they did not consider that use an appropriate capture under the Star Bond program; the developer then requested a separate waiver/variance from the full commission.

Because staff and Commerce expressed concerns, the committee advanced only the amendment itself and specifically excluded the dent‑repair variance from the resolution being forwarded. A committee member noted the wording explicitly: “The resolution does not include the variance for the dent shop,” and the committee voted to forward the amendment to the full commission on an accelerated schedule.

Formal action
- The Economic Development Finance standing committee voted to approve and fast‑track consideration of the fourth amendment to the Home Field development agreement to the full Unified Government commission (fast‑track hearing scheduled by committee). The resolution forwarded did not include the requested dent‑repair variance; that variance is to be considered separately if at all.

What remains unsettled
- The cosmetic dent‑repair variance. The developer may ask the full commission to consider a separate waiver; staff said any such waiver would require a formal resolution and careful review because Commerce and staff view the request as outside the program’s intended tourism/attraction uses. Several commissioners warned that changes perceived as stretching the Star Bond program could invite state legislative scrutiny.
- The timing and size of a next Star Bond offering. Napper requested the amendment to clear the way for a late‑year underwriting push; staff said any new issuance would likely require several months of preparation.

Proper names mentioned in discussion
Home Field; Margaritaville Resort & Home Field Outdoor; Home Field Showcase Center; Atlas 9 Immersive Museum; Vici (Margaritaville partner); Kansas Department of Commerce; Unified Government of Wyandotte County.

Why the public should watch this
The amendment ties the final phases of a large, publicly enabled development project to future Star Bond financing and a $4.35 million community investment. The development’s pending steps affect jobs, hotel demand, and the tax receipts the UG expects as the district matures. The committee advanced the amendment while deliberately separating a contested variance that the Department of Commerce and UG staff said could be outside the program’s intent.

Ending note
The amendment will move to the full commission on an accelerated schedule; the developer seeks to align the contract language with current budgets and to secure escrowed funds for targeted, downtown economic investments once additional Star Bond proceeds are available. The dent‑repair question remains, and staff cautioned commissioners that making exceptions could invite broader scrutiny of the Star Bond program.