Construction on New American Royal campus paused due to delay in STAR Bond agreement

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) - In November 2023, officials held a ceremony to mark the beginning of construction at the New American campus near The Legends. More than a year later, that construction has stalled.

The American Royal announced that active construction has been paused “due to the delay in finalizing the STAR Bond development agreement.”

When completed, the facility will be home to a 1 million-square-foot food and agriculture educational complex.

At the time of the barn raising on Nov. 29, 2023, officials said the American Royal main complex was expected to generate an annual total economic impact of $526 million and more than 5,000 jobs. It was also expected to host its first event in late 2025 or early 2026, but that timeline may now be moved back.

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“Construction has outpaced the public financing process,” a release from the American Royal stated. “While not ideal, the construction pause is a necessary step to ensure that all project stakeholders – contractors, subcontractors, consultants, service providers, donors and ers – have the certainty they need to remain committed to the project’s completion. The best way to ensure that is to have a finalized development agreement and a clear path to bond sales in place."

The American Royal has been a Kansas City tradition since 1899 with a mission to be the nation’s leader for food and agriculture education, events and engagement.

We continue actively negotiating with the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and the State of Kansas. These discussions, which take place daily, are progressing well, and all parties are confident that an agreement will be reached in the coming weeks.”

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