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The Kansas City Chiefs officially announced a move from Missouri to Kansas on Monday, (December 22).
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt confirmed the decision after a council of lawmakers in Topeka unanimously voted to approve sales tax and revenue (STAR) bonds to cover up to 70% of the fees to construct the new stadium and surrounding mixed-use district, which is estimated to be valued around $2.4 billion, and will be funded by state stales and liquor tax revenues generated in a defined area nearby, while the Hunt family will also commit $1 billion in additional development, a portion of which can be paid through STAR bonds.
"We made a decision as a family that this was the right opportunity and the best for the organization for several reasons," Hunt said via ESPN. "It's about the fans. My dad [Lamar Hunt, who founded the franchise] was always about the fans and thinking about the future. "This will give Chiefs kingdom a state-of-the-art facility for multiple generations, a building that can last for at least 50 or 60 years. We believe it's the best thing for the region. It will give Kansas City the opportunity to bid on events that we can't host right now, like the Super Bowl, the College Football Playoff and the NCAA Final Fours."
The reported vote took place hours after Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced a planned "special announcement" with local lawmakers and 18 months after Kelly signed a bill into law authorizing the state to pay for up to 70% of new stadium costs with the development generating future sales tax revenue. The Chiefs have eyed a potential move from Missouri to Kansas for several years, with Hunt previously acknowledging the possibility of a new stadium in 2021 after the Kansas City Royals publicly confirmed plans to pursue a new Major League Baseball stadium in downtown Kansas City.
"Obviously, things change, and the way fans want to consume the game and the kind of spaces that you need, those things change over time and we're paying attention to that," Hunt said at the time, via FOX Kansas City (h/t CBS Sports). "We've had beautiful stadiums open now in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, and there will be things when we get to the end of our lease here in nine or so years that I'm sure we'll want to incorporate into the stadium. One possibility will be another renovation of Arrowhead."
The Chiefs' current home, Arrowhead Stadium, is the NFL's third-oldest stadium behind only the Chicago Bears' Soldier Field and the Green Bay Packers' Lambeau Field.
