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mayor Justin M. Bibb and the ownership group cleveland browns A $100 million settlement has been reached, clearing the way for the franchise to build its new suburban stadium while the city of Cleveland prepares the current lakefront stadium site for future development.
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. Following the completion of their 30-year lease at Huntington Bank Field, the Browns want to begin construction next year and begin play in their new home in 2029.
That venue opened as Cleveland Browns Stadium in 1999. It replaced Cleveland Municipal Stadium, which operated from 1931 until it was demolished in 1996.
Haslam Sports Group – the company founded by Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam, their daughter and son-in-law – has agreed to pay the city $25 million by December 1 and convert the current stadium to “pad ready condition.” The cost of the demolition was estimated at $30 million.
The Haslams will pay Cleveland $5 million annually from 2029 to 2033, as well as $2 million annually from 2029 to 2038 for community benefit projects.
The deal must still be approved by Cleveland’s City Council.
“This $100 million investment continues our lakefront momentum and economic revitalization,” Bibb said in a statement. “This agreement puts the lakefront on a path to transformational development and the Browns on the path to a world-class facility at 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, that is open for business, and that knows how to get big things done.”
The two sides will also work together on transportation infrastructure to prevent traffic jams at the new site. The city and Haslams will also collaborate on a new road network designed to serve both the Brook Park stadium and the airport.
Both sides have also agreed to withdraw their cases. Browns sue city and state ohio in federal court last year, alleging that the state’s “model law” was unconstitutional. Law – enacted after Art Modell transferred the original Browns baltimore In 1996 – Requires franchises playing in taxpayer-funded facilities to give city or local investors the opportunity to purchase the team before relocating.
The city filed a lawsuit in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, arguing that Brown violated his lease and that the model law still applied because of the nearly $500 million renovation. The city also appealed to the Ohio Department of Transportation to approve the proposed new stadium’s height of 221 feet.
After an independent consultant determined that construction of the stadium would not alter any flight paths, ODOT decided to waive the height limit, which is 150 feet above the airport’s ground elevation. There will be necessary marking and lighting arrangements in the building. Federal Aviation Administration,
“Thanks to Mayor Bibb’s leadership and this important public-private partnership, we are accelerating the transformation of Cleveland’s lakefront while delivering a new world-class stadium and mixed-use development at Brooks 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 continued commitment to strategically investing in community programs across the city of Cleveland, building on the family’s consistent charitable giving throughout the region since assuming leadership of the Cleveland Browns in 2013.
The new stadium will be built on the former site of a Ford Motor Company plant. It will be 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 is hoping to fill the remaining funding gap after discussions with Brook Park officials.
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