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04 December 2025
Front Office Sportsstadium
Dec 04, 2025Front Office Sports
The Browns have cleared the last major obstacle in front of their $2.4 billion plan to build a domed stadium and mixed-use development in Brook Park, Ohio, as the Cleveland City Council approved a $100 million settlement deal enabling the move.
By a 13–2 vote, the city council passed the agreement first struck in October between the NFL team and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb—but not without some notable changes.
The original pact called for $70 million in cash payments from Browns owner Haslam Sports Group to the city, in multiple tranches, along with covering the estimated $30 million cost of razing the city-owned Huntington Bank Field. The city council’s assent retains that core of the agreement, which is focused in part on the redevelopment of the lakefront area where the current stadium is located. It adds, however, clarifying good-faith language, as well as up to $3 million in additional payments from HSG if the Browns stay at the current stadium beyond a planned exit in early 2029.
Perhaps most important to the Browns, though, the legislative approval also includes the release of legal claims that had threatened to scuttle the entire Brook Park project. City officials had attempted a variety of maneuvers to block the deal, and prior doubt around the council approval had represented another potential roadblock to the plan. Before these final modifications, Bibb had signaled there wasn’t wiggle room in the HSG deal.
“From Day One, I made it clear that any deal involving our city’s assets must protect the city’s general revenue fund and deliver real value for Cleveland. This agreement does exactly that,” Bibb said. “It resolves longstanding issues, safeguards the city’s financial interests, and positions us to move ahead with clarity and purpose.”
The new venue is slated to open for the 2029 NFL season. Following the council vote, the Browns touted not only the forthcoming arrival of that project, but the remade lakefront and a forthcoming modernization of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, adjacent to the planned stadium.
“These projects all reinforce our belief that Northeast Ohioans should have it all,” said HSG president Dave Jenkins. “We are confident that with continued collaboration, our region is set up for incredible growth and prosperity.”
There are still two outstanding legal cases relating to the Browns’ planned move, one relating to Ohio’s former Modell Law, and another regarding the state’s use of unclaimed funds to help fund the stadium. Both are still pending, and outside of the city’s purview. Neither, however, is expected to derail the project, even if they survive, and construction is expected to begin in earnest next year.
The Browns are part of a fast-growing stadium boom around the league, one that includes venues under construction in Buffalo and Tennessee, a recently approved deal in Washington, D.C., a newly announced plan in Denver, and ongoing deliberations in Kansas City and Chicago.
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Browns Clear Final Major Hurdle For New $2.4B Domed StadiumThe Browns have cleared the last major obstacle in front of their $2.4 billion plan to build a domed stadium and mixed-use development in Brook Park, Ohio, as the Cleveland City Council approved a $100 million settlement deal enabling the move.
By a 13–2 vote, the city council passed the agreement first struck in October between the NFL team and Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb—but not without some notable changes.
The original pact called for $70 million in cash payments from Browns owner Haslam Sports Group to the city, in multiple tranches, along with covering the estimated $30 million cost of razing the city-owned Huntington Bank Field. The city council’s assent retains that core of the agreement, which is focused in part on the redevelopment of the lakefront area where the current stadium is located. It adds, however, clarifying good-faith language, as well as up to $3 million in additional payments from HSG if the Browns stay at the current stadium beyond a planned exit in early 2029.
Perhaps most important to the Browns, though, the legislative approval also includes the release of legal claims that had threatened to scuttle the entire Brook Park project. City officials had attempted a variety of maneuvers to block the deal, and prior doubt around the council approval had represented another potential roadblock to the plan. Before these final modifications, Bibb had signaled there wasn’t wiggle room in the HSG deal.
“From Day One, I made it clear that any deal involving our city’s assets must protect the city’s general revenue fund and deliver real value for Cleveland. This agreement does exactly that,” Bibb said. “It resolves longstanding issues, safeguards the city’s financial interests, and positions us to move ahead with clarity and purpose.”
The new venue is slated to open for the 2029 NFL season. Following the council vote, the Browns touted not only the forthcoming arrival of that project, but the remade lakefront and a forthcoming modernization of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, adjacent to the planned stadium.
“These projects all reinforce our belief that Northeast Ohioans should have it all,” said HSG president Dave Jenkins. “We are confident that with continued collaboration, our region is set up for incredible growth and prosperity.”
There are still two outstanding legal cases relating to the Browns’ planned move, one relating to Ohio’s former Modell Law, and another regarding the state’s use of unclaimed funds to help fund the stadium. Both are still pending, and outside of the city’s purview. Neither, however, is expected to derail the project, even if they survive, and construction is expected to begin in earnest next year.
The Browns are part of a fast-growing stadium boom around the league, one that includes venues under construction in Buffalo and Tennessee, a recently approved deal in Washington, D.C., a newly announced plan in Denver, and ongoing deliberations in Kansas City and Chicago.
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04 December 20253 min readBrowns Clear Final Major Hurdle For New $2.4B Domed Stadium
Front Office Sports
04 December 2025
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Clark And D.A. Everett To Lead $800M Carolina Panthers Nfl Stadium RevampA joint venture between Clark Construction and D.A. Everett Construction will oversee the $800 million renovationof Bank of America Stadium, home of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, according to an announcement from Tepper Sports & Entertainment. Work is scheduled to begin in 2026 and conclude by 2030.
The project will modernise the Charlotte, North Carolina venue, enhancing infrastructure, technology, and fan experience. Early phases will focus on electrical, plumbing, mechanical, and HVAC upgrades, with subsequent work including new seating, lighting, concessions, concourse improvements, upgraded audio and video systems, and exterior video boards for community events. A group viewing area will also be added in the upper bowl.
Alongside the stadium renovation, the Panthers’ existing nine-acre practice field will be redeveloped to include a new indoor field house, to be delivered by Rodgers Builders and R.J. Leeper Construction, both Charlotte-based firms.
CAA Icon will act as project manager and owner’s representative, while HOK, the original architect of Bank of America Stadium in the 1990s, will once again provide design services.
The renovation is primarily financed through tourism tax revenue, which will cover 80% of the total cost. The Charlotte City Council approved the project in June 2024, later authorising $650 million in debt to move forward.
As part of the city’s inclusion goals, 15% of construction work will go to minority-owned small businesses and 12% to women-owned firms. Both D.A. Everett Construction and R.J. Leeper Construction are minority-owned companies.
In addition to hosting the Carolina Panthers, Bank of America Stadium is also home to Major League Soccer’s Charlotte FC.
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06 November 20252 min readClark And D.A. Everett To Lead $800M Carolina Panthers Nfl Stadium Revamp
Stadia Magazine
06 November 2025
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Spurs Secure Funding For $1.3B Arena, Set Stage For Wemby’S PrimeThe Spurs are set to move to a new downtown area after San Antonio–area voters approved a county-level funding measure Tuesday.
Bexar County, Texas, voters passed a $311 million measure that will help fund a $1.3 billion arena at Hemisfair, a downtown location that was the site of the 1968 World’s Fair. Separately, the city of San Antonio will contribute $489 million, with that move not subject to a citizen vote, and the Spurs will pay $500 million, plus all cost overruns. The team also intends to bring in private partners for help with a mixed-use development surrounding the arena.
The long-discussed arena plan will allow the team to depart the 23-year-old Frost Bank Center, which is aging and increasingly does not have amenities offered in modern venues such as California’s Chase Center and Intuit Dome.
“The community has spoken,” Spurs Sports and Entertainment chair Peter J. Holt said after the vote. “We love this city, we love this county, and the county and the city love us back.”
That Bexar County vote, however, was close, with about 52% of voters supporting the measure in the face of significant opposition from a variety of corners. The county funds for the arena will come from hotel and rental car tax receipts, and the decision ends any possibility of the Spurs relocating to another market, such as Austin, where they have a G League team.
The Spurs intend to open their new arena sometime in the early 2030s. The current lease at Frost Bank Center expires in 2032. Once it opens, it will leave the 76ers as the only NBA team not playing in a downtown arena. That team struck a deal early this year with Comcast Spectacor to develop a new facility in the south Philadelphia sports complex to succeed Xfinity Mobile Arena.
The San Antonio facility issue is developing as Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama has started the season in torrid fashion. Wembanyama and Spurs legends such as Manu Ginóbili were part of heavy pro-arena messaging from the team leading up to the vote. The new venue should be ready for what could still very much be the prime of Wembanyama’s career.
“I think about my future—and my present—all the time, in San Antonio, of course,” Wembanyama said about the arena vote. “And recently a little about the arena because it’s been a subject. … For all areas of my career, I’m very intentional. Even though some things take time [and] patience is needed, I’ve never been one to waste time.”
Front Office Sports
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06 November 20253 min readSpurs Secure Funding For $1.3B Arena, Set Stage For Wemby’S Prime
Front Office Sports
06 November 2025
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Cpkc Stadium $1B Riverfront Development Promises Huge Boost To KansasKansas City Current co-owner Angie Long has announced plans for a $1 billion mixed-use development adjacent to CPKC Stadium, envisioning it as “one of the jewels of Kansas City,” according to
.
Since opening earlier this year, CPKC Stadium, the first and only venue in the world built exclusively for women’s professional soccer, has drawn tens of thousands of fans to the riverfront, resulting in sold-out matches and international acclaim for the area.
Now, Angie and Chris Long, through their investment firm Palmer Square, have partnered with Marquee Development, the real estate arm of the Ricketts family (owners of the Chicago Cubs), to deliver the $1 billion project in three phases.
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas praised the vision of the Longs, saying, “Years from now the names Angie and Chris Long will be mentioned with [Chiefs founder] Lamar Hunt and [Royals founder] Ewing Kauffman.”
Chris Long said, “It became apparent that this could become one of the best entertainment districts in the United States if we can acquire development rights to everything around it. We can create this seamless experience … and really control everything from the branding, down to the security, to the pavers, to the experiential aspects.”
Long also reflected on the broader impact of the project, saying, “I really think we’re reshaping the narrative around the whole community. Now, you have the area upon which the city was born — not only reactivated, but thriving.”
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31 October 20252 min readCpkc Stadium $1B Riverfront Development Promises Huge Boost To Kansas
Stadia Magazine
31 October 2025
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Bears Hit Another Speed Bump For New $5B Stadium In SuburbsEven after forging a plan to pay for their own stadium on team-owned land, the Bears are facing new obstacles in their suburban stadium push.
Six weeks after the NFL team detailed a revised vision to build a domed stadium and mixed-use development in Arlington Heights, Ill., a state legislator has filed a new bill that threatens to delay or revise the plan.
The proposed legislation from state representative Kam Buckner, who is from Chicago and has firmly opposed the team’s intended move out of the city, contains several potentially impactful measures, including:
“Building up our state’s economy and securing long-term prosperity is about putting our money where it will do the most good, not spending it on magic beans and hoping for the best,” Buckner said.
The latest legislation, entitled the Stadium Transparency and Responsible Spending (STARS) Act, potentially creates a further time crunch around the Bears project. The team has said that the overall stadium cost, already more than $5 billion, rises by more than $10 million per month. It’s not likely that the bill will be approved in the state’s fall legislative session, but Buckner intends for this to be at least the start of a broader conversation around the stadium financing.
Notably, the Bears have already backed off a prior ask for direct state funding for the stadium, in the wake of significant opposition from Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other key leaders. Instead, the team seeks $855 million in public support toward infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Pritzker has said the Bears should pay off outstanding debt on Soldier Field, the team’s current home, from a 2003 renovation before any legislation related to the Arlington Heights project is considered. That debt stands at more than $534 million.
The Browns grappled with somewhat similar issues in recent months, facing repeated maneuvers from the city of Cleveland to block a planned move to suburban Brook Park, Ohio, before reaching a $100 million settlement earlier this week.
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16 October 20252 min readBears Hit Another Speed Bump For New $5B Stadium In Suburbs
Front Office Sports
16 October 2025
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Cleveland Takes New Shot At Blocking Browns’ $2.4B StadiumThe city of Cleveland is digging further into the playbook in its ongoing attempt to stop the Browns’ planned move to suburban Brook Park, Ohio.
City officials are appealing a recent Ohio Department of Transportation decision that cleared the way for the NFL team’s planned $2.4 billion domed stadium and mixed-use development next to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
That decision—in which ODOT said that concerns were heard and addressed about the stadium’s proposed height of 221 feet above ground—was reached in error, according to the city. The department granted the permit to the Browns after relying in large part on an independent aviation consultant it hired. That consultant’s findings concurred with those of the Federal Aviation Administration and the team’s aviation experts.
The stadium’s height will remain at the same level, but it will have a series of lights on the roof to aid airplane traffic.
“ODOT’s decision is not supported by reliable, probative, and substantial evidence, and is not in accordance with the law,” lawyers for Cleveland’s Department of Port Control wrote in a lawsuit that represents the appeal of the Browns permit decision.
The lawsuit, filed in Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, is now set to not only resurrect a matter seemingly settled, but also bring it in far greater public view than before.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has long opposed the team’s planned move from the downtown Huntington Bank Field, and he has attacked the plan on multiple fronts. A separate lawsuit citing Ohio’s Modell Law has been largely mooted amid recent changes to state law, but the city contends the law’s provisions still apply to the Browns. The city is also challenging components of the team’s lease at the current facility.
The Browns, however, intend to have a formal groundbreaking early next year in advance of a projected stadium opening in 2029.
While the stadium issue continues to play out, the Browns’ revolving door at quarterback continues to spin. The team traded Joe Flacco, the opening day starter, on Tuesday to the Bengals, along with a sixth-round draft pick, in return for a fifth-round pick.
Flacco had been benched in favor of Dillon Gabriel, while the Bengals have had their own issues at the position. Star quarterback Joe Burrow continues to deal with a toe injury, and his backup, Jake Browning, has lost three straight games. Rookie Shedeur Sanders could be elevated to No. 2 on the Browns’ depth chart behind Gabriel with the move.
The difference in rookie contract value between a fifth-round pick and a sixth-round one this year, however, was less than $200,000 over four years. That means the biggest financial impact for the Browns in the deal will be shedding the remainder of Flacco’s $4.25 million salary.
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08 October 20253 min readCleveland Takes New Shot At Blocking Browns’ $2.4B Stadium
Front Office Sports
08 October 2025
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Bears Want $855M In Public Money For Suburban StadiumThe Bears officially have a new site for their planned stadium and intend to pay for much of the project themselves, but there could still be plenty of public money involved.
The NFL team has released a new economic impact statement for its proposed domed stadium and mixed-use development, just weeks after detailing its intent to abandon a downtown location and build instead on land it owns in suburban Arlington Heights, Ill. The reworked model again affirms the Bears’ plan to fund the stadium itself entirely, a building slated to cost $2 billion.
The statement, however, also details a price tag of more than $5 billion for the entire development, slightly higher than the prior project of $4.7 billion, and calls for $855 million in public-sector investments in infrastructure.
That latter figure represents the newest and most specific ask in the team’s long and winding journey to build a next-generation venue in the No. 3 U.S. media market. The sought-after contribution from taxpayer dollars—targeted primarily for improvements to nearby roads and rail lines—is a sizable change from the even split contemplated in the prior, downtown plan, one that ran into firm resistance from Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The new split, a 17% contribution of the total cost from public money, much more closely resembles the 29% funding from the District of Columbia in a recently approved stadium and mixed-use development for the Commanders.
As has increasingly been the case, time is of the essence for the Bears. The team says that construction costs continue to escalate by more than $10 million per month—not surprising given broader inflationary and tariff fears across the economy.
The Bears also want to see state legislation passed that would freeze property-tax assessments on any large-scale project in the state and allow them to negotiate payments with local taxing authorities. That issue has been at the heart of a situation with Arlington Heights that Bears executives say is progressing but not resolved.
“We are urging state leaders to pass the Mega Project legislation, which creates a fair, predictable framework for property taxes that applies to any large-scale investment in Illinois,” the Bears said. “With this certainty, we can move forward ensuring this once-in-a-generation project becomes a reality.”
The team also released a new set of stadium renderings that have a close similarity to the downtown proposal. The updated design, however, takes advantage of the greater space that the 326-acre property at the former Arlington International Racecourse allows.
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02 October 20253 min readBears Want $855M In Public Money For Suburban Stadium
Front Office Sports
02 October 2025
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Nycfc’S New $780M Queens Stadium Comes With Jab At Red BullsMajor League Soccer’s NYCFC is drawing much closer to ending the itinerant nature that has dominated its entire existence, but the development of its new stadium is also coming with a bit of shade toward a regional rival.
The club held a hard-hat tour on Wednesday of its forthcoming Etihad Park in Queens, N.Y., providing media a first look at the construction for the forthcoming $780 million venue, to be located next to Citi Field, home of MLB’s Mets. The privately financed 25,000-seat venue, solidified in April 2024 and set to open in 2027, will at last give the club a true home of its own after playing its first 14 seasons at Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, and Sports Illustrated Stadium—and not being the primary tenant in any of them.
“We were resolute in our mission, right from when we first came here in 2013. We were going to be in New York City, for the city, the five boroughs,” NYCFC CEO Brad Sims tells Front Office Sports, shortly before the playoff-bound club was dominated Wednesday night by Inter Miami CF at Citi Field in a 4–0 rout that included two goals and an assist by superstar Lionel Messi.
“That definitely made it harder, but here we are now, standing in the skeleton of a stadium that will be a cathedral of soccer. … Everybody knows there’s light at the end of the tunnel now,” Sims says.
Drawing in part from other recently opened MLS venues such as Energizer Park in St. Louis and Geodis Park in Nashville, as well as several venues in Europe, Etihad Park will lean heavily in to established soccer culture. That includes a dedicated supporters’ section and a focus on fan proximity to the field, but there will also be some technology nods to next-generation venues such as the Sphere in Las Vegas, which has hosted several sports-related events, in part through immersive LED screens.
There is also a significant local element to Etihad Park, as the venue will be part of a larger mixed-use development in the Willets Point area.
“One of the key design pieces is that we want to be authentically New York and integrate into this new neighborhood that’s being built. We didn’t want a spaceship that just looks like it just landed right in the middle of the neighborhood,” Sims says.
Was that a dig at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J., the more futuristic-looking home of the New York Red Bulls, a key NYCFC rival?
“You can draw your own conclusions,” he says.
NYCFC, meanwhile, does not have a direct role in the ongoing proposal by Mets owner Steve Cohen and his partners, including Hard Rock International, to develop Metropolitan Park, an $8 billion casino and entertainment complex next to Citi Field. The soccer club, however, will directly benefit from the year-round destination that is contemplated in that project. Cohen is seeking a coveted gaming license to make that a reality, and a decision is expected in December.
“We’re in favor of anything that the residents of Queens, and especially this immediate area, are in favor of, and anything that’s going to make this area better,” Sims says. “There’s a great discourse going on with the community and the community leaders, and the Mets have done a great job listening to the feedback and working that into their proposal.”
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26 September 20253 min readNycfc’S New $780M Queens Stadium Comes With Jab At Red Bulls
Front Office Sports
26 September 2025
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Rays $1.7B Sale Approved, Stadium Plans Now Loom LargeMajor League Baseball owners on Monday unanimously approved the $1.7 billion sale of the Rays to a group led by Patrick Zalupski. A much more difficult road lies ahead, though, as the Florida developer and his partners will need to solidify the team’s uncertain future in the Tampa Bay area.
Three months after the Zalupski deal first came to light, he will take over the franchise from Stu Sternberg, who held the team for just shy of 20 years. During those two decades, the Rays went to the playoffs nine times and reached two World Series, typically with payrolls at or near the bottom of the league. The team, however, is now starting from scratch on a new venue after Sternberg earlier this year walked away from a deal to build a $1.3 billion ballpark in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Zalupski’s ownership group will also include Union Home Mortgage CEO Bill Cosgrove, Heartland Dental founder Rick Workman, DEX Imaging CEO Dan Doyle, Augusta National Golf Club chair Fred Ridley, and Ken Babby, founder and CEO of Fast Forward Group, which operates two minor-league teams. Babby is expected to be the team’s CEO.
Sternberg and his partners will initially retain a minority stake of about 10%, but a full divestment is expected later. Closing on the Zalupski deal is expected later this week.
That group is expected to look on both sides of Tampa Bay for a long-term stadium site, though the Hillsborough County side closer to the NFL’s Buccaneers and NHL’s Lightning is likely more preferable. In St. Petersburg, where the Rays have been based since their inception, the club continually struggled as one of the least attended in MLB.
A news conference is expected in the coming days in which the new owners will outline their vision in more detail.
In the meantime, repairs continue on the hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, and the 2026 MLB schedule contemplates the Rays getting back there after playing this season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the Yankees.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, for his part, has been steadfast in his support for the No. 11 media market, but also confirmed last week at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit that the team will be operating with a “blank slate” on a new stadium. He lauded the incoming owners, though, and the opportunity in front of them.
“The situation in Tampa has a lot of promising developments,” he said. “The sale to a group that has huge, deep roots in Tampa would be a definite positive. … Things are looking up in Tampa and are headed in the right direction.”
The core of the Rays baseball operations staff, including president Erik Neander, is expected to stay in place. The two leaders on the club’s business side, co-presidents Matt Silverman and Brian Auld, will conversely shift to advisory roles.
Front Office Sports
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23 September 20253 min readRays $1.7B Sale Approved, Stadium Plans Now Loom Large
Front Office Sports
23 September 2025
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Daily Digs: Unc Breaks Ground On Stadium Expansion, Hilliard'S $110M Athletic Complex, And More!RMF Engineering, alongside University of North Carolina Charlotte, McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture, and SLAM, celebrated the groundbreaking of phase one of the Jerry Richardson Stadium Expansion. The expansion project, set to add 20,000 square feet, will increase the stadium’s capacity by approximately 20% to around 20,000 seats.
The $70 million expansion includes a new tower above the existing press box that will feature a training room for athletes, a new press box for broadcasters, as well as new premium seating, including seven luxury suites, loge boxes, ledge seating, an indoor private club, and a terrace. On game days, the space will offer fans state-of-the-art amenities, while on non-game days, fan areas will convert into team meeting and dining space to ensure students have resources needed for recovery and optimal performance. The new tower provides student athletes with year-round dining access and allows Charlotte Athletics to host additional community events.
RMF Engineering is leading MEP engineering for the stadium expansion. Barton Malow is the construction manager. McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture was the lead designer in collaboration with SLAM.
The additional seating is projected to generate nearly $2 million annually, more than doubling UNC Charlotte’s ticket revenue. Completion is expected in spring 2027.
After years of planning and construction, Hilliard is planning to open its new community recreation center to the public for normal operating hours Sept. 19.
The Well is a $110 million undertaking mostly funded by the city raising income taxes from 2% to 2.5% in November 2021, said Anastasia Maynard, the facility manager at a media preview event Sept. 15. The total price tag also includes the Hilliard Athletic Complex, which includes more than 20 sports fields.
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The Waukesha Common Council is set to review the city’s proposed 2026–2030 Community Investment Program (CIP) tonight, which outlines key infrastructure and facility projects planned over the next five years.
A huge project includes a new building at the Mindiola Sports Complex that would provide permanent restrooms, concessions and indoor rental space — a big step up from the portable toilets currently on site.
“The CIP is a long-term plan that outlines major capital needs for the city such as infrastructure, facilities, equipment, and vehicles. Along with street reconstructions and vehicle replacements, one key project being considered is a new building at the Mindiola Sports Complex to provide restrooms, concessions, and a rentable indoor space. Currently, the complex only has portable restrooms,” the city posted on Facebook.
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19 September 20253 min readDaily Digs: Unc Breaks Ground On Stadium Expansion, Hilliard'S $110M Athletic Complex, And More!
Athletic Business
19 September 2025
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$3.8 Billion Commanders Stadium Deal Approved Despite Late DramaThe Commanders are officially returning to the District of Columbia after local legislators made a second and final vote to approve public funding for a $3.8 billion venue at the grounds of RFK Stadium. The initial glide path to secure the deal, however, hit significant turbulence on Wednesday.
Following an initial approval on Aug. 1 and the run-up to the second vote required in D.C. rules, the council again certified the stadium plan Wednesday evening by an 11–2 margin. The vote now paves the way for the construction of a domed venue and mixed-use development at the site of the team’s former home, with the new stadium targeted for a 2030 opening. Public money will represent about $1.1 billion in the project in a bid to reinvigorate a long-neglected area.
“An NFL stadium by itself is not a good investment. … But we’re talking about a bigger vision for the city and where we’re going to be in 50 years,” said council member Charles Allen. He was an initial skeptic on the deal who cheered the subsequent improvements to the framework to build “the most transit-friendly stadium in the NFL.”
That vote, however, only happened after frenetic last-minute negotiations early Wednesday between council leaders and the Commanders. Several council members sought to have a series of amendments passed that would have more substantively changed the deal agreed to last month.
In particular, the Commanders could have been on the hook for significant financial penalties for missing development milestones, in some cases reaching $10 million per year, with few, if any, carveouts for outside circumstances. Another potential amendment that failed would have seen land under team control clawed back by D.C. if undeveloped by 2050.
The team wrote a letter to the council on Wednesday morning that it was “presented with a list of unworkable and impractical new last-minute demands … which we simply cannot agree to as it jeopardizes the deal.”
The discord was largely resolved during a lengthy, closed-door meeting that delayed the start of the council hearing by two hours, and the financial penalty element in particular was later formally rejected by the council. The amendments approved late Wednesday were more technical in nature, relating to matters such as covenants around environmental standards and the routing of some stadium fees to community reinvestment.
“Today is a historic day for D.C., the Commanders organization, and our fans,” team owner Josh Harris said in a statement. “With the council’s approval, we can now move forward on the transformative RFK project that will bring lasting economic growth for our city.”
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser, a big advocate of the stadium deal, also cheered the eventual passage.
“This is the final step in securing our future at the new RFK Stadium,” Bowser said. “Our businesses, our people, our project. Now, let’s get to work.”
The Commanders are now firmly part of a fast-growing stadium development wave across the NFL. In addition to projects for the Bills and Titans that are well into active construction, teams such as the Bears, Broncos, and Browns are all actively pursuing new venues, and others, such as the Eagles, are considering ones as well.
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18 September 20253 min read$3.8 Billion Commanders Stadium Deal Approved Despite Late Drama
Front Office Sports
18 September 2025
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Commanders’ $3.8B D.C. Stadium Nears Key Council VoteThe Commanders’ planned return to the District of Columbia is up for another vote Wednesday, and this time, the proposed $3.8 billion project is expected to face far less drama.
The Council of the District of Columbia initially approved about $1.1 billion in public funding on Aug. 1 for a domed facility and mixed-use development on the grounds of RFK Stadium, the NFL team’s former home. Now, that measure is back for a second and final vote as a result of local rules requiring the multistage process to approve legislation.
D.C. council chair Phil Mendelson reiterated Tuesday that he believes he still has the necessary votes to complete the Commanders’ stadium funding. The first reading of the bill passed by a 9–3 vote, but only after considerable debate and significant modifications to the original proposal, and a similar sentiment is expected this time. In this second reading of the bill, a straight majority of “yes” votes among the 13-member council, amounting to seven votes, is required for passage.
Expected changes to the bill include establishing further clarity around specific milestone dates within the broader redevelopment of the RFK Stadium campus.
“We can focus on the negative, that the Commanders are supposedly ne’er-do-wells, or we can focus on the positive, the reality, which is that this is a very attractive development opportunity,” Mendelson said.
In addition to the forthcoming amendments, the second vote will include the return of Ward 8 council member Trayon White, who was previously expelled from the council following an indictment on bribery charges. White then won a special election to reclaim his seat and was sworn back into the legislative body.
The Commanders are set to contribute at least $2.7 billion toward the stadium and are responsible for all cost overruns. The team and District leaders are aiming for a 2030 opening for the new venue.
The team is also part of a fast-growing stadium development wave across the NFL. In addition to projects for the Bills and Titans that are well into active construction, teams such as the Bears, Broncos, and Browns are all actively pursuing new venues, and others, such as the Eagles, are considering ones as well.
Front Office Sports
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17 September 20252 min readCommanders’ $3.8B D.C. Stadium Nears Key Council Vote
Front Office Sports
17 September 2025
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