If I hear any more complaints about downtown parking I’m going to lose it

It’s not even on the list of things to worry about

There are plenty of reasons to be skeptical or even hostile to the Kansas City Royals’ stadium pitch and proposed Crossroads location. It starts with the fact that the Royals could simply renovate the stadium they have right now. Lots of people like Kauffman Stadium, which is arguably one of the top five most iconic Major League Baseball stadiums currently standing.

Then, of course, there’s the fact that the Royals and Chiefs are asking the public to fork over a few billion dollars over the next 40 years to finance the Royals’ downtown stadium as well as Arrowhead Stadium renovations. Both organizations are owned by billionaires who could very well fund these projects on their own. Oh, and don’t forget that the Crossroads stadium site will negatively affect a big swath of small business both within and outside of the immediate footprint.

But there is one argument that keeps coming up again and again that just drives me insane is about the lack of parking. And I just...I just can’t anymore. Parking isn’t the issue! Parking isn’t an issue! And if you’re complaining about it, you genuinely don’t know what you’re talking about. Let’s get into it.

Complaint #1: There won’t be enough parking!

Yes, there will. There are 40,000 parking spaces within a 15-minute walk of the stadium, which is 14,000 more than there are at the Truman Sports Complex. That’s a lot of parking.

The other factor here is that fewer people will need a parking space because of a few key factors. First, nearly 30,000 people live in downtown Kansas City and there are about 4,600 hotel rooms in the downtown area. Those folks are not driving to the stadium: they are walking to the stadium. Second, the free streetcar exists, and by 2028 will have been extended all the way to UMKC. People riding the streetcar are parking elsewhere. Third, significantly more people will use other transit options, like buses or rideshare.

You might need to plan a little more, but yes, there will be parking.

Complaint #2: You’ll have to park too far away!

No, you won’t. You already have to walk a long way from your parking space to your seat at Kauffman Stadium. Though it depends on where your seat is, the longest straight-line distance you could end up walking at a busy game would be about 2,500 feet from Lot N. There’s plenty of times that you could walk at least 2,000 feet. In terms of miles, that’s roughly one third to one half of a mile.

And in the context of downtown Kansas City, 2,500 feet is a loooooong ways. In fact, you can literally get from the former Kansas City Star building on McGee Street all the way over to Broadway on the west side of the Kauffman Center in that distance. There are a huge number of parking options within 2,000 feet, including what is (at the moment) free street parking at many locations on nights and weekends, which is when Royals games are.

Complaint #3: Parking will be too expensive!

No, it won’t. When you park at the Truman Sports Complex, you must pay the bridge troll however much money they feel like charging. The cheapest prepaid parking you can buy is $20, but you can pay $30 for premium parking. Event parking at one of the city’s municipal garages currently costs $10 to $30, which is obviously right what you’d pay to get into Kauffman Stadium’s lot.

Plus, like I said earlier, you have more than one parking option—and some of them are free, if you’re just willing to walk a little bit. You could park on the street. You can park on a surface lot. You can park in a garage. You’ve got all kind of options, and if you want to pay $40 or whatever to park right next to the stadium, you can do that.

Complaint #4: Getting out will be such a nightmare!

No, it won’t—at least not compared to the Truman Sports Complex during a busy game. Royals fans that go to games now are spoiled because there are only 10,000 to 15,000 most of the time in a complex logistically designed for six times that many. But do you remember when the Royals were selling out games in 2014 and 2015? It could take over an hour to leave your parking spot!

Since there are so many different parking locations around Crossroads and downtown, a larger portion of people who didn’t drive at all, and plenty of restaurants to go to after the game, the number of people all leaving from one place is less. The whole area is designed for tens of thousands of workers to all leave at 5pm at the same time, after all. It can handle the extra traffic.

Complaint #5: I don’t like driving around downtown!

You don’t have to in order to get to a game. Seriously. The year is 2024 and rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft are very common, prices in Kansas City are pretty reasonable, and a downtown stadium no longer makes taking rideshare difficult. From my home, which is 10 miles away from the site of the new stadium, I can get a one-way, four-person Uber for $20 as I’m typing this (and a 6-person Uber XL for $30). You can also schedule it so that it’s available when you want to leave.

Now, at $40-$60 round trip, you’re going to be paying more than you would otherwise for parking—and depending on surge pricing and just how far you are, you could pay more than that. But since you’re not driving, you don’t have to worry at all about parking (or about your blood alcohol level if that’s your thing).

Allow me to get on a little soapbox for a second.

There are huge swaths of suburbanites who have never been downtown, and for those people, I do empathize that it can be intimidating at first to go there, especially when it’s busy or if there are road closures. It’s totally legit to say “hey, I’m uncomfortable with driving downtown and I don’t really want to do so if I can help it.”

But as far as objectivity goes—no, parking isn’t an issue. Please stop telling me it is. I just can’t take it.