On Tuesday night, members of Cleveland City Council met before a packed house to vote on a $140 million proposal that would renovate Quicken Loans Arena. Despite a bit of resistance from locals who say the money could have been used in struggling downtown cummunities, the Cavaliers‘ proposal passed with a “super-majority” count, 12-5.
With the super-majority of votes, the new proposal becomes emergency legislation, giving it a priority status. According to Jay Miller of Crainscleveland.com, if the proposal had failed to garner a super-majority vote, the legislation would not have taken effect for another 30 days.
The Cavs made a strong push before the start of Tuesday night’s vote. The champs vowed to donate a large sum of money to the City of Cleveland’s general fund under their revised offer. Money from the donation is to be used for refurbishing local basketball courts and the construction of 100 new homes in partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Apparently, the move worked, as councilman Brian Cummins, once an opponent of the proposal, changed his mind and voted in favor of the deal.
#HappeningNow @cavs commit money to @CityofCleveland general fund, resurfacing of local basketball courts, new @Habitat_org homes @wkyc
— Andrew Horansky (@WKYCAndrewH) April 24, 2017
Under plan, @cavs would build 100 new @Habitat_org homes. Team has already given $100's of thousands from watch parties to them. @wkyc
— Andrew Horansky (@WKYCAndrewH) April 24, 2017
According to Miller, the Cavs would like to start on the project as soon as this year’s playoffs are over, but Cuyahoga County needs the next two months to prepare and sell a bond issue before construction can start.
The renovation of Quicken Loans Arena, now 22 years in operation, is being financed by a group effort — the Cavs, the city of Cleveland, and Cuyahoga County. The Cavs are to fund half of the $140 million project. The city of Cleveland will fund the other half. Cuyahoga County has taken steps to ensure that they will be able to pay their portion of the funding, passing new legislation that extends some of their current taxes beyond 2027.
Cavs fans will be happy to know that the new legislation also includes a lease extension that ensures the team will remain at their beloved arena all the way through 2034.
Cleveland City Council president Kevin Kelley commented on the renovation proposal and its passing during an afternoon press conference from the steps of City Hall.
“The proposed Q renovation is an all-around good deal,” Kelley said. “An already good deal has gotten better.”
