The Cleveland Browns are officially building for the future. On Thursday, team owner Jimmy Haslam and his family broke ground on a massive $2.4 billion domed stadium project, set to welcome fans for the 2029 season. This state-of-the-art facility will seat 67,500 and is located near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, about 15 miles south of downtown. It’s a bold move for a franchise looking to upgrade from its current lakefront home, but the road to kickoff isn't without a few hurdles.
While construction crews are ready to roll, a class-action lawsuit has put a key piece of funding on pause. The state of Ohio had committed $600 million to the project, but that money is tied up in legal challenges. The lawsuit argues that a state budget provision—which moved $1 billion from Ohio’s Unclaimed Funds Account to help fund sports facilities—violates constitutional rules against using private property for government purposes. It’s a legal battle that could stretch on, and even Governor Mike DeWine admitted uncertainty about a quick resolution.
“This is clearly going to go on for a while,” DeWine said after the ceremony. “I’m not happy about that, but there’s nothing we can do. I think we’ll win this case in court. If we don’t, we have another option—my initial proposal was to tax sports gaming companies, and that’s still on the table.”
The city of Brook Park hasn’t yet signed off on its planned $245 million contribution, either. But the Haslam Sports Group—led by Dee and Jimmy Haslam, along with their daughter and son-in-law—is stepping up big time. They’re covering the lion’s share at $1.76 billion, plus any cost overruns. That’s a serious commitment to bringing a modern, weather-proof venue to Northeast Ohio.
This stadium journey actually started back in 2018, when the focus was on renovating the Browns’ current lakefront stadium. That venue opened in 1999 as Cleveland Browns Stadium, replacing the historic Cleveland Municipal Stadium (which stood from 1931 until its demolition in 1996). As talks evolved, the idea of a fresh start in Brook Park took shape, and now the vision is becoming reality.