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A little more than 15 years ago, Werner Park held its first baseball game. This summer, the ballpark expects to welcome its six millionth fan across all events. As the College World Series left Rosenblatt Stadium behind to move downtown, the Omaha Royals left Omaha altogether. They landed in Sarpy County, off Highway 370 near Interstate 80, and changed their name to the Omaha Storm Chasers. The team expects to reach five million fans in attendance by the end of the month, much like the College World Series hit five million fans this week at its new ballpark.Martie Cordaro, club president and general manager, reflected on the team’s move from Omaha to Sarpy County in an interview with KETV.”We were surprised, to say the least, that we ended up staying in the metro and not being in downtown proper,” Cordaro recalled. “But it’s been a great move.” Cordaro was in a different role with the team at the time. He said late conversations with the City of Omaha “told us a lot, relative to what our importance was.”He said the decision to move out of Omaha was also influenced by trends in minor league ballparks, which were becoming smaller, more intimate, and offering more amenities. “We ended up for us in a better spot, being able to run our business and being able to provide all of the community things that we do,” Cordaro said. “Sarpy County has been a great partner throughout the years.” But asked about development around the stadium, Cordaro said “the missing part” is something to attract visitors directly south of the ballpark. It’s not a new thought. In 2016, a Sarpy County Board Member, Don Kelly, now the chair of the board, discussed it with KETV.”We get a lot of people that ask us that, why hasn’t the development occurred already?” Kelly said at the time. He said: “We want to turn this area into a destination that will attract visitors, not only to Werner Park, but to Sarpy County,” the board member said. In 2026, the area directly south of the stadium remains empty, though housing has continued to pop up nearby. “It’s still the hope that there will be more of a destination out there with restaurants and shops and places for people to visit,” Sarpy County Administrator Bonnie Moore told KETV. Developer BHI Companies is currently adding 300 apartment units south of the stadium. A company representative told KETV they hope to add attractions, such as retail and restaurants, in future phases, but did not provide more detail. “When that ballpark was planned and developed out there, it was just a blank slate,” Moore told KETV. “The chapters of this book are kind of filling in, but the story is still being written for the rest of the area around the ballpark, and it’ll be there eventually.”Cordaro said he and Diamond Baseball Holdings, which purchased the club in 2024, share that optimism. “They’re very bullish on Sarpy County and the metro area as a whole,” Cordaro said of Diamond Baseball Holdings.Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
A little more than 15 years ago, Werner Park held its first baseball game. This summer, the ballpark expects to welcome its six millionth fan across all events.
As the College World Series left Rosenblatt Stadium behind to move downtown, the Omaha Royals left Omaha altogether. They landed in Sarpy County, off Highway 370 near Interstate 80, and changed their name to the Omaha Storm Chasers.
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The team expects to reach five million fans in attendance by the end of the month, much like the College World Series hit five million fans this week at its new ballpark.
Martie Cordaro, club president and general manager, reflected on the team’s move from Omaha to Sarpy County in an interview with KETV.
“We were surprised, to say the least, that we ended up staying in the metro and not being in downtown proper,” Cordaro recalled. “But it’s been a great move.”
Cordaro was in a different role with the team at the time. He said late conversations with the City of Omaha “told us a lot, relative to what our importance was.”
He said the decision to move out of Omaha was also influenced by trends in minor league ballparks, which were becoming smaller, more intimate, and offering more amenities.
“We ended up for us in a better spot, being able to run our business and being able to provide all of the community things that we do,” Cordaro said. “Sarpy County has been a great partner throughout the years.”
But asked about development around the stadium, Cordaro said “the missing part” is something to attract visitors directly south of the ballpark.
It’s not a new thought. In 2016, a Sarpy County Board Member, Don Kelly, now the chair of the board, discussed it with KETV.
“We get a lot of people that ask us that, why hasn’t the development occurred already?” Kelly said at the time.
He said: “We want to turn this area into a destination that will attract visitors, not only to Werner Park, but to Sarpy County,” the board member said.
In 2026, the area directly south of the stadium remains empty, though housing has continued to pop up nearby.
“It’s still the hope that there will be more of a destination out there with restaurants and shops and places for people to visit,” Sarpy County Administrator Bonnie Moore told KETV.
Developer BHI Companies is currently adding 300 apartment units south of the stadium. A company representative told KETV they hope to add attractions, such as retail and restaurants, in future phases, but did not provide more detail.
“When that ballpark was planned and developed out there, it was just a blank slate,” Moore told KETV. “The chapters of this book are kind of filling in, but the story is still being written for the rest of the area around the ballpark, and it’ll be there eventually.”
Cordaro said he and Diamond Baseball Holdings, which purchased the club in 2024, share that optimism.
“They’re very bullish on Sarpy County and the metro area as a whole,” Cordaro said of Diamond Baseball Holdings.
Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.
NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |
