CLEVELAND — With the soon-to-be-renamed Cleveland Guardians set to have their Prorgressive Field lease expire in two years, a Cleveland City Council committee will consider using city funds to renovate the stadium. 

What You Need To Know

  • A Cleveland City Council committee will consider a deal to use city funds to renovate Progressive Field

  • Progressive Field is a 27-year-old facility and lacks some amenities seen in newer stadiums

  • The stadium would undergo several years of renovation starting in 2022 if approved

  • The plan would use $19 million a year in public funds over the next 15 years

As part of the plan, the club would agree to remain a tenant of Progressive Field through 2046. Progressive Field is 27 years old, and elected leaders say using public funds to renovate the stadium would prevent any discussion of the team relocating to another city. 

Last week, Cuyahoga County agreed to its portion of the deal. For the next 15 years, the city and county would spend $17 million annually on stadium renovations. The state of Ohio is set to chip in $2 million annually. The agreement calls on the team to pay for 35% of the renovations and any overages. 

At 27 years old, officials said the stadium lacks some of the amenities found in newer stadiums. Progressive Field is the 11th oldest stadium out of 30 in MLB. Several older stadiums, including Wrigley Field in Chicago and Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, have undergone significant renovations in recent years. 

Pending city approval, stadium improvements could begin around the start of the 2022 MLB season.

The club says that improvements to the stadium would include an expanded team clubhouse and facilities, opening the left field terrace and knocking down some of the concrete walls in the upper deck to provide a view of the field from the concourse.

After the Development, Planning and Sustainability Committee considers the proposal on Tuesday, the deal could go before the full Cleveland City Council in the coming weeks. 

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