Berea is lining up its next big move with a roughly $69.7 million fiscal year 2026 budget that bundles routine city work with a high-profile Browns-led redevelopment on the north end. City officials say the plan covers police upgrades, water and street projects, and new private development without touching tax rates, while Mayor Cyril Kleem pitches it as a way to grow the tax base, trim debt and keep padding the rainy-day fund.
The full spending plan clocks in at $69,686,339, according to the City of Berea, with $22,484,000 set aside for the general fund and roughly $12 million earmarked for capital improvements. That capital slice covers a $700,000 phase-one renovation of the police station, a new $2 million water storage tank at the treatment plant and $1.5 million to rebuild Longbrooke Road. The city also lists park, recreation center and additional street work that officials say will come out of the same capital program.
Browns’ District 46 Anchors the North End
The Cleveland Browns, working with DiGeronimo Companies, are fronting a roughly $200 million expansion dubbed District 46 at the CrossCountry Mortgage Campus. The Cleveland Browns say the 16-acre plan calls for a hotel, sports-medicine space, retail, a parking garage and a community field house. The team’s release bills District 46 as a new mixed-use neighborhood with public-facing amenities and commercial space, and names partners including University Hospitals and Berea City Schools. Key pieces are aimed at a 2026–2027 opening window.
Townhomes, Development Deal and Infrastructure
On nearby land, the city has a development agreement with GD3 Ventures that calls for roughly 55 townhouses on a 5.5-acre parcel and another 22 units on a 1.878-acre lot, for a total of 77 homes. The developer is responsible for private roads and utility work, according to the City of Berea. The agreement spells out how and when property is transferred, who handles which pieces of infrastructure and the milestones GD3 must hit before lots are conveyed. City staff say the townhomes are one piece of a long-running push to reactivate the north end after years of land assembly.
Bottom Line on City Finances
City officials stress that the budget was built while cutting debt and building reserves. Governmental debt is slated to drop by $1.7 million and is expected to fall below $15 million this year, while cash reserves, which sat at about $3 million in 2017, are projected to top $5 million by the end of 2026, according to Cleveland.com. Leaders say those improvements come without tax hikes and with city services intact. Finance staff add they will keep a close eye on construction costs and incoming revenue as private projects come out of the ground.
With the budget signed off and development agreements in place, Berea’s next year is expected to revolve around permitting, traffic management and utility coordination as plans turn into active construction sites. Residents are being told to expect public meetings and regular updates as the city tries to balance short-term headaches with what it hopes will be long-term growth on its north side.
