KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A pair of renderings from the Kansas City Royals of its East Village stadium proposal show a pedestrian bridge from the stadium and ballpark district between 8th and 12th Street to a neighborhood across Interstate 70 on the East Loop.

That neighborhood is officially known as Paseo West, but most may associate it with several homeless service organizations that operate shelters, rehab centers and thrift stores in the neighborhood.

There are also several homeless camps, boarded up former apartment buildings and a handful of businesses, many related to transportation.

“We want to make sure that the neighborhood that we fit in, that’s there’s authenticity we bring to the neighborhood that we’re complimentary to what’s already there,” Sarah Tourville, Royals executive vice president, chief commercial and community impact officer, said.

City Union Mission and Salvation Army, two of the organizations that call the area home currently, both indicated to FOX4 they haven’t been approached by the Royals or any other developer.

But with a new $2 billion stadium and ballpark district across the bridge, the Royals say downtown could be transformed.

“There’s certainly a chance that we would be and expect to be an investor over there. We think by our location in East Village would certainly enhance our ability to develop over there, and we would participate in it and expect it to do well,” Royals President of Business Operations Brooks Sherman said.

The project could possibly put Paseo West on the map for downtown residents who hadn’t previously heard of the name of the less visited area just across the highway.

“You even had to explain it a bit to register what we were talking about, so I think if we had something over there, build it up, yeah for sure I think people would be more likely to go over there, even walk or take a bike,” downtown resident Lauren Moore said.

“Maybe, we’ll see. You have the walkway there but the Loop could be a physical barrier for people moving back and forth,” Royals fan and downtown stadium supporter Mike Theobald said.

The Royals are also considering a location in North Kansas City. Royals are expected to announce the location for the new stadium in late September. Team leaders said they’d like to be in their new home at the start of the 2028 season.