NFL’s Chiefs' Move to Kansas Sets $4B Stadium Construction Program | Columbus Ohio Dump Trucks
Stadiums
Domed stadium in Kansas City, Kan., and training campus in Olathe would anchor a multibillion-dollar public-private sports construction project
The proposed domed stadium site is near the interchange of Interstates 70 and 435 in Kansas City, Kan., where transportation access and potential off-site roadway improvements have yet to be defined.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ decision to relocate from Missouri to Kansas is setting in motion a $4-billion construction program centered on a new domed stadium, a separate headquarters and training campus, and two mixed-use developments, according to state and team documents released Dec. 22.
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly and Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt announced an agreement to build a $3-billion enclosed stadium in Kansas City, Kan., in Wyandotte County, with a target opening for the 2031 NFL season, along with a new team headquarters and practice facility in Olathe, in Johnson County, Kan. The overall plan also includes roughly $1 billion in mixed-use development across both sites.
“This agreement to bring the Chiefs to Kansas takes our state to the next level,” Kelly said, calling the deal “a game-changer for Kansas.” Hunt said the team was “excited to partner with the State of Kansas,” adding that the stadium, training facility and surrounding development would “benefit the entire region.”
Project documents reviewed by ENR place the stadium near the interchange of Interstates 70 and 435, within a newly designated STAR bond district that also encompasses the Olathe training complex, subject to final boundary approvals by state and local officials. Wyandotte County and the City of Olathe must still adopt ordinances pledging incremental local sales tax revenues generated within the district to support bond repayment.
Financing, Delivery and Risk Allocation
Under the framework, the stadium would be delivered through a public-private partnership with approximately 60% public funding and 40% private funding. The public share would be financed primarily through Sales Tax and Revenue (STAR) bonds and the state’s Attracting Professional Sports to Kansas Fund, which is capitalized through lottery and sports betting revenue.
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The preliminary STAR bond agreement specifies the stadium will be a fully enclosed facility with a minimum capacity of 65,000 seats, to be built in a “first-class manner” comparable to recent enclosed NFL venues. The agreement also contemplates pursuing applicable sales tax exemptions on construction materials, subject to required approvals.
A preliminary map outlines the proposed STAR bond district covering the planned domed stadium site in Wyandotte County and a separate Chiefs practice facility in Johnson County, Kan.; final district boundaries will be set through subsequent approvals.
Map courtesy of the Kansas Department of Commerce
Stadium scope explicitly includes parking, utility infrastructure and related on-site improvements, but documents have not assigned responsibility or cost allocation for off-site roadway upgrades, interchange modifications or broader transportation improvements beyond what is ultimately incorporated into the definitive project program. Coordination with state and local transportation agencies is anticipated but not yet defined.
The agreement establishes a guaranteed maximum price (GMP) delivery structure, with the Chiefs responsible for managing design and construction procurement and for covering any cost overruns beyond the public funding cap. The state’s public contribution is capped at 60% of the stadium budget, or $1.8 billion, and the team must demonstrate sufficient private financing capacity before any bond issuance. During construction, public and private funds would be disbursed on a pari passu basis, meaning the public share cannot exceed 60% of costs.
While the Chiefs would oversee construction, the stadium must be conveyed to a governmental or quasi-governmental entity before bond issuance, with the team entering into a long-term lease and management agreement. The initial lease term is 30 years, with multiple five-year extension options. Annual rent payments would begin at $7 million, escalating annually, with portions directed to reserves for capital repairs, maintenance and operations.
The agreement sets a reserve funding threshold of $17 million annually, increasing by “the greater of 2% or CPI,” and requires the public owner to retain an independent engineering or facility-condition firm to regularly assess structural, mechanical, electrical and architectural systems. Public funding is capped at the agreed level, with the Chiefs responsible for costs above that threshold.
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Economic Impact
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
While the agreement outlines funding structure and ownership terms, several key infrastructure and delivery decisions remain unresolved. Project documents place the stadium near the Interstate 70 and Interstate 435 interchange, but responsibility for off-site roadway improvements, access modifications and traffic management has not yet been defined.
The STAR bond agreement establishes a guaranteed maximum price delivery framework but does not yet identify the procurement path, leaving open questions about whether construction will proceed through a single CM-at-risk contract, phased early-works packages or another model.
Design leadership, utility upgrades, stormwater infrastructure and labor requirements have not been announced. State and local approvals, including ordinances pledging local sales tax revenues within the STAR bond district, will shape the project schedule and determine when Charlotte NC dump truck contractor and designers begin to see procurement opportunities.
An independent economic impact study prepared for the Kansas Dept. of Commerce estimates the combined stadium, headquarters, training facility and mixed-use development would generate about $4.4 billion in construction-phase economic output, supporting nearly 21,000 jobs and $1.6 billion in labor income across Johnson and Wyandotte counties. Once fully built out, the facilities are projected to generate approximately $1.1 billion in annual economic output and support about 4,000 ongoing jobs, with mixed-use development completed by 2038.
Missouri officials expressed disappointment. Gov. Mike Kehoe said in a statement reported by Kansas City media that Missouri had “put forward a competitive and attractive proposal” to keep the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium but that the team’s decision to relocate was “deeply disappointing.” Kansas City, Mo., Mayor Quinton Lucas also acknowledged the move’s impact, calling it a setback, according to local media reports.
The Chiefs plan to continue playing home games at Arrowhead through the 2030 season before relocating to the new Kansas facility. The move follows the April 2024 failure of a Jackson County sales tax measure to fund major stadium renovations.
Several project-critical elements remain unresolved and are expected to be addressed in subsequent phases. These include final design leadership, procurement sequencing and contracting strategy; assignment and funding of off-site transportation and utility upgrades; labor requirements, including any prevailing wage or project labor agreement provisions; and the scope and timing of environmental review and permitting. No architects, engineers or construction firms have been named.
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Bryan Gottlieb is the online editor at Engineering News-Record (ENR).
Gottlieb is a five-time Society of Professional Journalists Excellence in Journalism award winner with more than a decade of experience covering business, construction and dump trucks columbus oh community issues. He has worked at Adweek, managed a dump trucks columbus oh community newsroom in Santa Monica, Calif., and reported on finance, law and real estate for the San Diego Daily Transcript. He later served as editor-in-chief of the Detroit Metro Times and was managing editor at Roofing Contractor, where he helped shape national industry coverage. Gottlieb covers breaking news, large-scale infrastructure projects, new products and business trends across the construction sector.
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