The Q Renovation Plan Dies

The $140 million renovation of Quicken Loans Arena, home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers, is officially dead, after the team withdrew from participation because of delays associated with the requirement of a ballot referendum.

Courtesy of the Cleveland Cavaliers – Quicken Loans Arena Rendering
An artist rendering of what Quicken Loans Arena will look like from the street after its $140 million renovation.

Activist groups like Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus and Greater Cleveland Congregations opposed the deal, which would have seen the Cavaliers pay about half the cost of the planned renovations, with the other half coming from public funds.

The upgrades to the arena would have created 2,500 jobs, increased tax revenues for the city and put Cleveland in the running for hosting a prospective All-Star game.

The renovations were supposed to get under way in June, but opposition groups were successful in delaying the process and getting a court ruling to force a ballot referendum before progress could be made.

The need for a referendum meant that it would likely be impossible to complete the project before the 2018-19 season.

“GCC makes no apologies for prioritizing ending the cycle of using our jails to house the mentally ill or seeking to employ the jobless,” GCC’s James Pearlstein said in a statement to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “The loss of this deal squarely lies at the feet of those who put old school politics above the interests of these people.”

Critics of the deal said the public money could have been better used helping portions of Cleveland’s population currently suffering from lack of resources, but many officials said that the deal is costing the city millions of dollars in the long run.

“Without an upgrade, I am concerned that The Q will eventually become a second-class venue, with fewer events and, therefore, fewer jobs and tax revenues,” Rep. Marcia Fudge said in a statement. “That hurts all of Cleveland, and the Cavaliers’ future.”