It’s sounding more and more like the Browns will be playing in a covered stadium in Brook Park before the start of the next decade.
Or maybe not, because Cuyahoga County officials are determined to keep the Browns in downtown Cleveland.
The city of Cleveland submitted a proposal to the Browns on Aug. 1 to contribute $461 million toward a $1 billion project to renovate Cleveland Browns Stadium. The Browns would pay the remainder themselves under the city’s proposal. The Browns have played there since 1999, when they were a first-year expansion team. The current lease expires after the 2028 season.
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb asked the Browns to respond to the proposal by August 12. Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam issued the following statement on August 11:
“A stadium project that could be a transformative opportunity for this region requires careful thought, objectivity, innovation and patience,” the statement said. “The process of renovating or building a new stadium is incredibly complex. We have been reminded many times that the problems with the current stadium are the result of a rushed and incomplete process, and we do not want to see that repeated.”
“We have received the county’s response and are still gathering information and carefully considering both paths. It would be shortsighted for Northeast Ohio to rule out all options for a long-term decision of this magnitude at this time.
“We look forward to the City of Cleveland’s responses to our detailed questions about their proposal last week, and we remain committed to working and communicating with all stakeholders. Collaboration and openness in thoroughly reviewing this project are critical to achieving the goal of finding and implementing the best long-term and sustainable stadium solution for this region.”
But before the Haslams made their statement, Cuyahoga County officials sent a letter to the Haslams supporting a $1 billion proposal to keep the Browns in Cleveland. The letter was co-signed by County Executive Chris Ronayne and Cuyahoga County Council President Pernel Jones Jr.
Brook Park is located in Cuyahoga County, about 15 miles south of downtown Cleveland. The Haslams plan to buy 176 acres in Brook Park to build an indoor stadium and other facilities, including a hotel. The project would cost an estimated $2.4 billion.
“Today we write to reaffirm our shared commitment to keeping the Browns in Downtown Cleveland for generations to come,” Ronayne and Jones wrote in their letter. “The proposal to build a new stadium in Brook Park does not make financial sense for the residents and taxpayers of Cuyahoga County.
“In addition, proposals that would pose an unacceptable risk to the county’s general fund cannot be considered. We believe it is our responsibility and in the best interest of our community to prioritize reinvestment in public assets.”
Last week, the Browns sent a letter to their fans from Dave Jenkins of Haslam Sports Group showing renderings of a covered stadium. The letter made it very clear that Haslam Sports Group is excited about the covered stadium, which will be funded both publicly and privately, with some of that public funding coming from Cuyahoga County.
Ronayne and Jones’ letter also makes it clear that Cuyahoga County is hesitant to support the dome project, even if it would require abandoning Cleveland Browns Stadium.
“We must be bold,” the Browns’ letter to their fans reads. “We must innovate and seize this unique moment to create a transformative project not only for our fans, but for Cleveland, the Northeast Ohio region and the state of Ohio.”
“…While there is still a lot of work left, the Brook Park option has become more attractive the more we have explored it…As other markets have shown, a project of this magnitude only realistically works through a public-private partnership. We viewed this as a 50-50 partnership for the stadium, with the exception of cost overruns, which we would absorb.”
There is still a lot of work to be done before the Browns’ home is completed after 2028.
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