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Cleveland Council Approves Amended $100 Million Browns Settlement, Clearing Path to Brook Park Stadium

Council acted after Ohio’s $600 million pledge for Brook Park limited the city’s leverage.

Overview

  • The legislation passed 13–2, formally enabling the Browns’ relocation to a planned $2.4 billion stadium in Brook Park as early as 2029, with a possible delay to 2031.
  • Haslam Sports Group will pay $25 million upfront and $55 million over ten years after the team leaves, with the city retaining the initial $25 million if the Brook Park plan collapses.
  • Council shifted $5 million from lakefront work to neighborhoods, bringing the totals to $45 million for lakefront improvements and $25 million for community projects.
  • The owners must fund and manage demolition of the lakefront stadium, estimated at $30 million, meeting local and minority-business participation goals and paying prevailing wage to prepare the site for redevelopment.
  • If the team extends its downtown lease by up to two years due to construction delays, added costs of $1 million for the first year and $2 million for the second will go to neighborhood investments, with dissenting council members signaling continued oversight in 2026.