Overview
- Brook Park Mayor Edward Orcutt has introduced legislation to create the Brook Park New Community Authority and the City Council is scheduled to discuss the proposal ahead of a public hearing on July 15.
- Under the plan the authority would officially own the domed stadium and lease it back to the Browns so materials could be treated as public purchases and claim roughly $100 million in sales-tax savings.
- The project is budgeted at $2.6 billion with Haslam Sports Group providing $1.755 billion, the state $600 million, and Brook Park $245 million, and the team would be responsible for any construction overruns.
- Ohio’s intended $600 million contribution relies on borrowing from the state’s unclaimed funds but that financing is delayed by litigation, leaving state support uncertain and forcing officials to consider alternatives.
- The proposed authority would split appointments between the city (five members) and Haslam Sports Group (four members), raising governance and revenue-control questions for a development that includes a $1 billion mixed-use district and targets a 2029 opening.