BROOK PARK, Ohio – The Haslam Sports Group and the Cleveland Browns on Thursday announced the selection of a construction team with extensive NFL stadium experience to build their planned $2.4 billion indoor stadium in Brook Park.
AECOM Hunt and Turner Construction will serve as construction managers of the new Huntington Bank Field, for which the Browns plan to begin construction early next year.
AECOM’s stadium portfolio includes Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles. Turner has done stadium work for at least 17 NFL franchises.
The announcement comes as the team continues talks with the city of Brook Park to reach a formal agreement on creating a special community authority to own the stadium, manage the lease and oversee broader site development. Brook Park recently approved rezoning for the project.
The team still faces a pending lawsuit filed by Cleveland seeking to block the move from the city-owned lakefront stadium. And a separate suit filed by two former Democratic state officials questions the legality of the state setting aside $600 million in unclaimed funds for the project.
The team’s aim is to open the stadium in time for the start of the 2029 NFL season. The club’s lease with the 26-year-old downtown stadium expires at the end of the 2028 season.
The Browns earlier this year paid $76 million for 178 acres near Interstates 480 and 71 on the site of multiple former Ford Motor Co. plants, just south of a remaining plant called Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1.
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“Partnering with such respected and accomplished construction managers as AECOM Hunt and Turner will help us create a world-class stadium experience and entertainment district for our fans that will benefit the entire Northeast Ohio region,” Haslam Sports Group President David Jenkins said in Thursday’s announcement.
Turner worked on both the construction of the Haslam Sports Group’s Columbus Crew soccer stadium, and renovation of the existing football stadium in Cleveland.
Designed by HSK, the team said the new stadium will seat 67,500 – expandable to 75,000 for concerts and other events – and have a translucent roof designed to allow for natural lighting.
HSK also worked with AECOM and Turner on the SoFi stadium project.
Local partners on the project include the DiGeronimo Companies and Independence Excavating.
The financing plan for the $2.4 billion project includes $600 million committed from the state, plus site-generated city taxes – largely admissions taxes – to cover about $300 million in borrowing. The rest would be paid for by the Haslam Sports Group.