Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed a law July 1 allowing the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns to secure $600 million in state funds toward construction of a $2.4-billion domed stadium in suburban Brook Park, Ohio. The site of the planned stadium project is about 14 miles from the team’s current location on Cleveland’s lakefront campus that also includes the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The money would come from the state’s Division of Unclaimed Funds, a pool of unclaimed or abandoned money and other assets owed to residents that’s in the possession of the state of Ohio. 

But not everyone is on board with the plan to use unclaimed funds for the new stadium which, like the open-air downtown stadium where the team has played since 1999, would be called Huntington Bank Field. 

The architect for the 65,000- to 70,000-seat domed stadium is HKS. The lead contractor is M.A. Mortenson. A mixed-use development around the stadium is also planned that would include hotels, apartments, retail and offices.  

Browns’ spokesperson Peter John-Baptiste confirmed that just before DeWine signed the law, the team finalized a $76-million purchase of a 176-acre site in Brook Park for the new stadium. The property was previously a Ford Motor Co. plant and is located near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Browns’ owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam released a statement commending DeWine and the state legislature for “their collaborative work to find a responsible way to support such a transformative project.”

“My goal was to make sure we no longer use general fund taxpayer dollars to support stadiums in Ohio,” DeWine said at a press conference.

The unclaimed funds pool would be replenished with money generated by sales tax revenue from the new development including fees on tickets, concessions, hotel stays and other economic activity, supporters say. However, no mechanism to refill the unclaimed funds currently exists. 

Noting that the fund could also be used for other ventures, such as theaters or concert venues, DeWine said his goal also was to “take a holistic approach—to look at not just one team—this budget does that.”

Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne decried the potential move of the Browns from downtown Cleveland and the way the project may be funded.

“The prevailing sentiment is that this is a bad idea,” he said. “This is a boondoggle and the fans don’t want to see them go.”

Former Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann and former State Rep. Jeffrey Crossman, both Democrats, have vowed to file a lawsuit to stop the use of unclaimed funds for the new stadium.

“I’m not anti-stadium,” Crossman says. “I’m anti theft. The proposed funding involves stealing peoples’ private property to benefit a stadium.”

“If this funding plan blows up, this is going to send the project back to the drawing board and delay the project,” Crossman adds. 

The Brook Park Planning Commission is scheduled to hold a July 8 special meeting to begin review of zoning amendments needed for the project to move forward. 

The Browns hope that construction will start in early 2026, says John-Baptiste.