Kansas City Royals Washington Square Park Stadium Abandoned?!?

Here's a quick secret and a valuable tell regarding Kansas City development . . .

When streetcar officials start chiming in  . . . The serious conversations are complete and it's all just speculation and chatter.

Example . . .

Whatever happened to that East/West streetcar extensions???

Reality check . . .

The streetcar is a development buzzkill because it immediately sours residents on any plan given that the toy train has NEVER lived up to promises. 

Other than fake ridership numbers . . . We haven't seen a great deal of success stem from this controversial mode of transit. Tax fighters who study this kind of thing often tell us that most of the development along the line is taxpayer subsidized and still has yet to garner the kind of critical mass that could help pay P&L District bills . 

Even worse . . . 

The path of the toy train is littered with small biz & restaurant closures from locals who couldn't withstand constant construction and very little viable foot traffic. 

Nevertheless . . . 

Behind the scenes there's now very little conversation about the Downtown Kansas City Royals Stadium At Washington Square Park . . . Elected officials seem lukewarm about the idea and the old school Sprint Campus speculation garnered more interest and excitement. 

Of course . . .

We're obliged to share a more optimistic perspective with the toy train promising to capitalize on yet another cowtown vaporware development idea . . .

"Having free, easy direct access for tens of thousands of people, [and] to be able to access the stadium without driving, that would be a huge generator [of streetcar ridership],”  Kansas City Streetcar Authority executive director Tom Gerend said of Washington Square Park. “When you think about 80 games a year, that's a profound impact just in terms of [ridership] activity, but it would be a tremendous opportunity obviously for Downtown.”

The Streetcar Authority is ultimately “site-agnostic,” Gerend said. No matter what downtown site the team picks, he expects the streetcar to take a similar approach when increasing its service and cars, and coordinating traffic, safety and security. But the streetcar’s proximity to Washington Square Park is appealing.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

KC Biz Journal: How the streetcar could draw Royals to Washington Square Park stadium

Developing . . .