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Leawood council authorizes mayor to oppose proposed Esperia stadium location across Knoll Avenue

City Council of the City of Leawood, Kansas · December 16, 2025

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Summary

Mayor Mark Elkins, with unanimous council backing, was authorized to issue a public statement opposing locating a Major League Baseball stadium at the Overland Park Esperia campus because of concerns about traffic, noise, safety, infrastructure capacity and lack of transparency; the council directed staff to distribute the statement to residents who had written in.

The Leawood City Council on Dec. 15 authorized Mayor Mark Elkins to issue a statement saying the city supports keeping the Kansas City Royals in the region but cannot, at this time, support the Overland Park Esperia campus as an appropriate stadium location given concerns raised by residents and nearby institutions.

Mayor Elkins read a draft that said the city’s concerns include traffic congestion, noise and lighting, public safety and emergency access, neighborhood parking impacts, infrastructure capacity and effects on nearby schools, medical facilities and senior living communities. He and council members said the concerns were amplified by perceived lack of transparency about plans for the site and by public statements from nearby institutions (the transcript references T‑Mobile and the Jewish Community Centers Association) indicating they anticipate negative impacts.

Council members across the dais voiced support for the statement and urged staff to post it publicly and send the message to the many residents who had written in. Council Member Larson emphasized the council was responding to constituent feedback; Council Member Phillip asked staff to send the statement to every person who wrote the city. The motion authorizing the mayor to release the statement passed unanimously.

The statement is an expression of the city’s current view and does not bind Overland Park or state agencies; staff and council said they would continue to monitor reporting and resident feedback as any formal proposals or public hearings develop.