The Kansas City Royals have offered fans a fresh look at their proposed downtown stadium.While the master plan is yet to be finalized, the Major League Baseball team announced in April an intention to move from their longtime home at Kauffman Stadium to the Crown Center area.The Royals have announced a new $3bn downtown stadium projectPopulous/Kansas City RoyalsThe Royals have played at Kauffman, which sits alongside Arrowhead Stadium on the Truman Sports Complex in Missouri, since 1973.A $3 billion project, which includes a mixed-used development and a new $1.9bn ballpark as its centerpiece, will see the team head to downtown Kansas City for the 2030 MLB season.The Royals are planning to break ground and start construction in May 2027, and this week released two new images that offer the latest glimpse of the ballpark’s design.One shows the viewpoint from inside beyond left field, and another offers a view from outside the stadium.A ‘re-imagined headquarters’ for the club will be built close to the stadium, as will a new base for Hallmark Cards, which is partnering on the project.Two-thirds of the funding for the 85-acre transformation will come from private sources, and the remaining one-third from public partners.New renderings were revealed on the same day that a proposed financing plan ‘moved a step closer’ to reality.Royals get funding boost for $3bn ballpark projectOn Tuesday, Kansas City’s Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee ‘unanimously approved’ a framework that includes $600 million in city funding.The proposal would also authorize the city manager to enter into lease, development, funding, non-relocation and community benefits agreements with the Royals. The ordinances now advance to the full city council.The Royals have shared new renders of their proposed downtown ballparkKansas City RoyalsThe team has also had a funding boost from Kansas City this weekKansas City RoyalsHowever, the meeting was not without controversy, as a Kauffman Stadium worker was reportedly arrested and taken out of the room for causing a disruption.Some local groups have objected to the city’s ‘fast-track’ of the plan, and its decision to move forward without a public vote, according to KMBC 9 News.Stand Up KC wants voters to have a say on the issue before city funding’s allocated though.“John Sherman is a billionaire,” Missouri Workers Power Leader Terrence Wise said in a statement, offered to FOX4. “The city is ready to hand him $600 million of our money while we’re told there’s nothing left for the schools our kids go to, the buses we ride to work, and the housing we can’t afford.“Two years ago, voters rejected this deal.The Royals hope to open their new ballpark for the 2030 MLB seasonPopulous/Kansas City Royals“Now the council is rushing it through in two weeks with no public vote, no released financial projections, and no real community benefits. “This isn’t economic development. It’s a giveaway to a billionaire, paid for by workers.”With Kansas City to contribute $600m to a new ballpark, the Royals would put up at least $760m and would be responsible for covering overruns or gaps, if other anticipated funding falls short.Significant hurdles still remain before the stadium plan is finalized and ground is broken, as the deal still depends on state funding, bond approvals, private financing, tax-increment financing and approval from Major League Baseball.The Royals are moving out of their historic Kauffman Stadium homeGettyNevertheless, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas had positive words about this week’s financing development.“Today is a homerun for Kansas City,” he said in a news release.“The Royals and Hallmark downtown will bring millions of people to our city core, build thousands of jobs in the heart of our region, and will extend benefits to every corner of Kansas City and our area.”