City of Cleveland and Browns owners reach $100 million settlement, paving way for new stadium
CLEVELAND (AP) — Mayor Justin M. Bibb and the Cleveland Browns’ ownership group have reached a $100 million deal that will pave the way to build a new suburban stadium while preparing the site for a future existing lakeside stadium built by the city of Cleveland.
The proposed $2.4 billion domed stadium would be built in Brook Park next to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and about 15 miles (24.14 kilometers) south of downtown Cleveland. The Browns plan to begin construction next year and begin playing at their new home in 2029 after their 30-year lease at Huntington Bank Field is completed.
Advertising
This venue opened in 1999 as Cleveland Browns Stadium. It replaced Cleveland Municipal Stadium, which was in operation from 1931 until its demolition in 1996.
Haslam Sports Group, founded by Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam and their daughter and son-in-law, agreed to pay the city $25 million by Dec. 1 and bring the existing stadium to “pad ready status.” The cost of the demolition is estimated at $30 million.
The Haslams will also pay Cleveland $5 million annually from 2029 to 2033 and $2 million annually from 2029 to 2038 for community benefit projects.
The deal still must be approved by the Cleveland City Council.
Advertising
“This $100 million investment continues our lakefront momentum and economic revitalization,” Bibb said in a statement. “This deal puts the lakefront on the path to transformational development and the Browns on the path to a world-class facility in Brook Park. This is the right solution for the city and the region. Now is Cleveland’s time. We are a city that leads the region, is open for business and knows how to do big things.”
Both parties will work together on transportation infrastructure to avoid traffic jams at the new facility. The city and the Haslams will also collaborate on a new road network that will serve both the Brook Park stadium and the airport.
Both parties agreed to drop their cases. The Browns sued the state and city of Ohio in federal court last year, claiming the state’s “Modell law” was unconstitutional. The law, enacted after Art Modell moved the original Browns to Baltimore in 1996, requires franchises that play in taxpayer-funded facilities to give the city or local investors the opportunity to purchase the team before the move.
The city filed a lawsuit in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, arguing that the Browns had violated their lease and that the Modell law still applies because of the nearly $500 million in renovations. The city also objected to the Ohio Department of Transportation’s approval that the height of the proposed new stadium be 221 feet.
Advertising
ODOT decided to waive the airport’s height limit of 150 feet above ground level after an independent consultant determined that stadium construction would not alter flight paths. The building will have marking and lighting required by the Federal Aviation Administration.
“Thanks to Mayor Bibb’s leadership and this monumental public-private partnership, we are accelerating the transformation of Cleveland’s lakefront as we deliver a world-class new stadium and mixed-use development in Brook Park. This is a win for the city, the region and the fans,” Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in a statement. “We will always be the Cleveland Browns, and this agreement reflects the Haslam/Johnson family’s ongoing commitment to strategically invest in City of Cleveland community programs, building on the family’s consistent philanthropic giving throughout the region since assuming leadership of the Cleveland Browns in 2013.
The new stadium was built by Ford Motor Co. It will be built on the old land of the factory. It would sit 80 feet below the ground and 221 feet above the ground.
The Browns are paying $1.2 billion for construction and will receive $600 million from the state. The team hopes to fill the remaining funding gap after discussions with Brook Park officials.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
