Packers, city of Green Bay negotiations over lease agreement come to halt
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – Negotiations between the Packers and the city of Green Bay over a new lease agreement have broken down.
Local Five News has learned that the city of Green Bay has chosen to halt negotiations for now as the two sides remain apart on what the terms of a potential future lease would look like.
The Packers’ current lease runs for nine more years. A team official said they’re trying to extend the lease by 30 years.
“The Packers were disappointed to hear from the city that they had ceased negotiations,” said Packers director of public affairs Aaron Popkey.
With the lease agreement in limbo, Popkey said the team has chosen to halt an $80 million project that would have renovated the Lambeau Field concourse ahead of the NFL draft in Green Bay next year.
Popkey said that it’s disappointing that the team is missing out on an opportunity to make their stadium look its best when they host the draft.
“If you are going to make investments in your facilities and other things, you want to have certainty on your lease,” said Popkey.
Chris Wery is the Green Bay alderman whose district includes some of the neighborhoods around Lambeau Field.
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He said he and other alders want to see the Packers invest more in Green Bay before agreeing to extend their lease.
“It’s unfortunate that a lot of what they’re doing is in Ashwaubenon it really isn’t even in Green Bay,” said Wery. “From a city standpoint, we’re trying to encourage them to help us grow in Green Bay. We’ve seen what they’ve been doing in Ashwaubenon, they have the TIF (tax incremental financing) district and they really built it out and it looks beautiful. We’re looking for something similar on the other end.”
The mayor’s office also provided Local 5 News with the following statement:
“My administration and I will continue to work with the Packers on a number of different initiatives, including the 2025 NFL Draft, and we stand ready to re-engage on the subject of lease negotiations as soon as the City’s core priorities are legitimately acknowledged in the team’s offer. And let’s be clear: the lease we have is the one that was agreed to by both parties. The Packers have 18 years remaining on that agreement, and the Packers are free to make any facility improvements they’d like. Their preferred terms would reduce the rent they owe to the City of Green Bay, and it’s not a good deal for our taxpayers.
The City met in good faith with the Packers over the course of several months to discuss reopening the lease terms based on the team’s request. Although there were productive conversations and the Packers expressed openness to the City’s proposed terms, the written proposal did not reflect those discussions. The Common Council and I are united in our assessment of the terms offered by the Packers, and if the team wants a different answer they need to bring forward a proposal that’s worthy of our consideration and in keeping with what was expressed during our conversations.
The people of Green Bay brought the Packers to life and have sustained the team for over 100 years. Our residents have the Packers in their hearts and at the top of their minds, always. We remain confident we’ll be able to jointly build a future for Lambeau Field that substantively benefits our workers, community organizations, and city as a whole.”
Mayor Eric Genrich
On his Facebook page, council president Jesse Brunette said ‘there is more to this situation than what the Packers are sharing’ and that the city of Green Bay (mayor and city council combined) join the Packers in wanting a deal all sides can be proud of.’
City officials said if they get less money from the Packers through their lease agreement they’d have to make tough decisions on how to make up for that loss.
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The Packers said they’ve invested millions of dollars into Lambeau and the surrounding areas over the years and have over a billion dollars worth of additional projects planned. They said all the projects they’ve completed in the past and plan for the future they’ve done and will do without taxpayer money.
Popkey said the stadium lease deal they proposed to the Packers is one of the best in sports.
“I think the Packers are confident that we can continue to discuss and exchange ideas,” said Popkey. “But we need to get back to the table.”
“One side wants less and the other wants more and right now we’re stuck on these two extremes,” said Wery. “We need both to realize we’re partners and we’re going to be partners for a long time.”
The Packers said they have made three proposals to the city for a new lease agreement, but haven’t received a counter proposal back yet.
