$750 Million to Create a Sports-Focused, Mixed Use Development in Canton, Ohio

The Pro Football Hall of Fame is about to get a major makeover. The development investment is the largest in the history of the city of Canton.

1 minute read

August 27, 2017, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Canton, Ohio

The Pro Football Hall of Fame before big money came to town. | Erik Drost / Flickr

"A makeover at the Pro Football Hall of Fame is turning an underdeveloped shrine to the heroes of America’s favorite sport into a $750 million mixed-use center of entertainment, residences, offices, research and health care," reports Keith Schneider.

The project is expected to be a "life-changer" for the city of Canton, Ohio, where the Pro Football Hall of Fame is located.

Canton’s perspective changed with two developments: a transition in the hall’s presidency in 2014, and an unscheduled visit by a California-based builder who is active in redeveloping Midwest cities. In January 2014, three days after he took office as the Hall of Fame’s president and chief executive, David Baker met Stuart Lichter, the president and founder of the Industrial Realty Group. Among Mr. Lichter’s Ohio developments is East End, in neighboring Akron, which includes a 639,000-square-foot, seven-story, $160 million headquarters for the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company.

Now the idea is to create an "NFL theme park" in the city, and a unique take on a new development model: "sports-focused, mixed use development." Precedents include the Arena District in Columbus, Ohio; the Downtown Commons in Sacramento, California; the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, Texas; and the City of Champions in Inglewood, California.

Tuesday, August 22, 2017 in The New York Times

Portland Bus Lane

‘Forward Together’ Bus System Redesign Rolling Out in Portland

Portland is redesigning its bus system to respond to the changing patterns of the post-pandemic world—with twin goals of increasing ridership and improving equity.

August 30, 2023 - Mass Transit

An aerial view of Milwaukee’s Third Ward.

Plan to Potentially Remove Downtown Milwaukee’s Interstate Faces Public Scrutiny

The public is weighing in on a suite of options for repairing, replacing, or removing Interstate 794 in downtown Milwaukee.

August 27, 2023 - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Conceptual rendering of Rikers Island redevelopment as renewable energy facility

Can New York City Go Green Without Renewable Rikers?

New York City’s bold proposal to close the jail on Rikers Island and replace it with green infrastructure is in jeopardy. Will this compromise the city’s ambitious climate goals?

August 24, 2023 - Mark McNulty

A rendering of the Utah City master planned, mixed-use development.

700-Acre Master-Planned Community Planned in Utah

A massive development plan is taking shape for lakefront property in Vineyard, Utah—on the site of a former U.S. Steel Geneva Works facility.

August 31 - Daily Herald

A line of cars wait at the drive-thru window of a starbucks.

More Cities Ponder the End of Drive-Thrus

Drive-thru fast food restaurants might be a staple of American life, but several U.S. cities are actively considering prohibiting the development of new drive-thrus for the benefit of traffic safety, air quality, and congestion.

August 31 - The Denver Post

Air pollution is visible in the air around high-rise buildings in Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Air Pollution World’s Worst Public Health Threat, Report Says

Air pollution is more likely to take years life off the lifespan of the average human than any other external factor, according to a recent report out of the University of Chicago.

August 31 - Phys.org