Browns Start Brook Park Stadium Construction

BROOK PARK, Ohio - The Cleveland Browns and Haslam Sports Group began construction Wednesday on new Huntington Bank Field, an enclosed stadium the team says will become the Browns’ home in the 2029 NFL season.

The club described the Brook Park project as Northeast Ohio’s largest economic development project to date. Haslam Sports Group said the stadium and adjoining mixed-use district are scheduled to open in 2029, with the venue designed for Browns games, NCAA Final Fours, international soccer matches, concerts, and other large events.

The construction launch moves the Browns’ stadium plan from design and political debate into construction. It also gives Northeast Ohio a new test case in the modern NFL venue race, where teams increasingly pitch stadiums as year-round entertainment districts rather than single-purpose football buildings.

What Happened

Haslam Sports Group, AECOM Hunt, Turner Construction Company, and HKS announced the official construction ceremony at the new Brook Park site on April 30, according to the Browns. The event included remarks from Haslam Sports Group managing and principal partner Dee Haslam and panels on fan experience, economic impact, and football operations.

"Our family is deeply committed to Northeast Ohio and we know our community deserves this stadium and transformative project," Dee and Jimmy Haslam said in the team’s announcement. "The new Huntington Bank Field will be an economic catalyst for our region, delivering best-in-class fan experiences and exciting events throughout the year."

The Browns said the enclosed venue will serve as Ohio’s first enclosed stadium capable of hosting major events throughout the year. The project includes a transparent roof, a flexible-capacity seating bowl, a modernized Dawg Pound, and what the team described as a long-span roof without a truss.

Graphic: Cleveland Browns (fair use)

The stadium is being designed by HKS and built by AECOM Hunt and Turner Construction Company. The surrounding mixed-use entertainment district is led by Lincoln Property Company, according to the Browns.

The team said the stadium and Phase 1 of the mixed-use development are scheduled to open in 2029. That timeline would shift the franchise from its current lakefront home to Brook Park after the 2028 season if construction and related approvals stay on track.

Economic Implications

The Browns’ case for the project rests heavily on regional development. In a March excavation announcement, Haslam Sports Group said it and its partners are investing more than $2 billion in private capital in the new stadium and adjoining mixed-use development.

The same announcement described the total project as $3.4 billion in economic development. It said the $2 billion figure includes at least $1.2 billion from Haslam Sports Group toward construction of the enclosed stadium, plus any cost overruns.

The Browns said the project will create more than 6,000 construction jobs and thousands of additional full-time positions across the stadium and adjacent development. AECOM Hunt and Turner Construction said in the excavation release that at least 75 percent of total workforce hours on the stadium will be performed by local residents.

Rendering: Cleveland Browns (fair use)

"We're thrilled to be part of the largest construction project in Ohio and the historic moment occurring today," AECOM Hunt vice president Patrick Wipperman and Turner Construction vice president Taurean Spratt said in the Browns’ excavation announcement. "A minimum of 75 percent of the total workforce hours on the new Huntington Bank Field will be performed by local residents."

The event strategy is central to the economics. The Browns said the stadium will be able to host crowds of up to 75,000 for concerts, international soccer, NCAA Final Fours, and other large-scale events. That model attempts to turn a football stadium with roughly ten regular-season NFL home dates into a full calendar asset for the region.

The public-finance side remains the main issue to watch. The Browns’ official materials quantify private investment, jobs, and event capacity, but any final public contribution, municipal exposure, or litigation outcome should be weighed through government records rather than team claims.

The Response

Supporters of the project frame the stadium as a long-term commitment to Northeast Ohio. The Haslams said the project will keep the Browns in the region for decades and create a destination that extends beyond game day.

Construction partners made a similar case. Ken Johnson, chief operating officer for AECOM Hunt’s Central Region, said the stadium will deliver a football venue while giving the region a building that can attract large events.

"As one of the largest construction projects in the history of Northeast Ohio, the new Huntington Bank Field will deliver an unparalleled experience for football fans while featuring the flexibility to host a variety of large-scale, blockbuster events that will generate significant economic growth and attract more audiences to the region than ever before," Johnson said.

Turner Construction’s Taurean Spratt said the project is meant to pair the stadium with local business participation and a broader mixed-use district. He said the new field will "redefine the football fan experience and raise the bar even higher for sports and entertainment venues around the world."

Skeptics of major stadium projects typically focus on whether promised economic impact reaches taxpayers, small businesses, and residents after construction ends. The Browns’ releases emphasize private capital, local labor hours, and full-time jobs, but those claims will be measured against actual hiring, contract awards, event bookings, and any public costs over the next several years.

What People Are Saying

"Our family is deeply committed to Northeast Ohio and we know our community deserves this stadium and transformative project," Dee and Jimmy Haslam said.

"The new Huntington Bank Field will be an economic catalyst for our region, delivering best-in-class fan experiences and exciting events throughout the year," the Haslams said.

"A minimum of 75 percent of the total workforce hours on the new Huntington Bank Field will be performed by local residents," Wipperman and Spratt said.

"The new Huntington Bank Field will redefine the football fan experience and raise the bar even higher for sports and entertainment venues around the world," Spratt said.

The Big Picture

The Brook Park construction launch begins the most concrete phase of the Browns’ stadium shift. The team has now put construction partners, a 2029 target, private-investment figures, local labor promises, and event-capacity goals into the public record.

What comes next is less ceremonial. The project’s success will depend on construction progress, financing details, community hiring, mixed-use development demand, and whether the venue can draw enough non-NFL events to support the broader economic case the Browns are making.