CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns moved on from their original plans to pursue a $1-plus billion lakefront stadium renovation last fall, but local politicians continue to attempt to strong arm the team and its ownership group into remaining in the existing building that was obsolete the day it opened its gates in 1999.
Scene Magazine published an image of the Browns’ original renovation concept Wednesday morning along with a story which featured city and county political leaders, including Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb and county executive Chris Ronayne, bemoaning the team’s refusal to release their original renovation concept to the public.
92.3 The Fan was given a look at the proposed lakefront renovation plans over two years ago and can confirm the image’s authenticity. The team has since also confirmed the image is real.
Haslam Sports Group and Browns chief operating officer David Jenkins released a lengthy statement in response to the mounting pressure to release the original plans being applied by politicians through the media Wednesday afternoon.
It is published below unedited.
“As we have consistently communicated, we methodically explored the lakefront renovation for several years, and it became abundantly clear that putting any money into renovating the current open-air stadium is a short-sighted, short-term fix that will only create the same issues down the road and also will impede the City of Cleveland’s opportunity to finally re-imagine the lakefront. Those renderings were created as part of a process almost three years ago. We haven’t had substantive renovation discussions in months and have never been presented with a viable funding plan for a renovation from Cuyahoga County or the City of Cleveland to pair with our private investment. The Haslam Sports Group is committed to contributing $1.2 billion to the Brook Park enclosed stadium and contrary to County Executive Chris Ronayne’s consistently misinformed statements, the rest of the proposed public component will be public bonding, not grants, and will be paid back with revenue from the project and does not rely on existing taxpayer streams. We also appreciate and respect that Governor DeWine has communicated his support for a dome stadium and what it can mean for the State of Ohio. It has become increasingly disheartening to see local politicians lobbying against an unprecedented $3+ billion economic development project with substantial State investment in Northeast Ohio that would generate hundreds of millions of dollars for public stakeholders, especially at a time when these very same politicians are speaking of economic hardships and development challenges in this region. We are confident that an enclosed stadium and mixed-use development in Brook Park utilized year-round is the only reasonable long-term solution for our organization and the region. This project will allow our lakefront to thrive, generate hundreds of millions of dollars for Northeast Ohio to use on other community needs, and, when paired with yesterday’s airport modernization announcement, will serve as another catalyst for transforming our region.”
Ronayne has led the charge at the county level opposing the Brook Park plan.
Last August, Mayor Bibb submitted a proposal he knew the team would refuse as to gain political cover by offering $461 million in financing over 30 years.
The proposal included $227 million in increases in admissions tax revenues, $120 million in Cuyahoga County sin tax revenues and $20 million in existing capital reserves. The city has also offered to turn the Willard Garage and the Muni Lot over to the Browns for their exclusive use on game days and event days but the parking revenues, which are expected to generate $94 million, would go towards capital repairs and improvements. Bibb also proposed that the annual $250,000 in rent currently paid under terms of the existing lease would be waived but the team would assume the $1.3 million cost in insurance and property tax payments.
After being told in early September in a meeting that included principal and managing partner Jimmy Haslam and Jenkins at City Hall the team would pursue the Brook Park option in lieu of a renovation, Bibb immediately asked the Browns to fund the demolition of the existing stadium as well as make a significant financial contribution to the redevelopment of the lakefront – options the Browns were willing to entertain sources with direct knowledge of the meeting told 92.3 The Fan.
In that same September meeting, Bibb also requested the Browns keep their plans to leave the lakefront private until the city received a federal grant for the lakefront the sources said. The Browns agreed and honored the request.
After $69 million in federal money was announced for the Shoreway reconfiguration and North Coast Connector projects in October, Bibb upstaged the Browns stadium announcement and then threatened legal action against the team weeks after he privately pledged to work with the Haslams on a seamless transition to Brook Park.
There are lawsuits – filed by the Browns and city of Cleveland respectively – pending in U.S. District and county court to resolve the issue of the ‘Modell Law,’ invoked by Cleveland in an attempt to force the Browns to remain in the existing stadium, which is showing its age and in need of significant repairs.
The Browns estimate that in addition to the billion-dollar renovation, the existing stadium would require an additional $700 million for repairs and upkeep over the next 20-25 years.
During the Browns stadium exploration process that followed a $125 million renovation the team funded with Cleveland repaying $30 million over 15 years, former Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson asked the Haslams to draw up plans to revitalize the lakefront. Those plans, which cost the Haslams millions, were released in May, 2021 but the Bibb administration, which was sworn in in January of 2022, cast the Haslam plans aside in favor of developing the city’s own concept for the lakefront, including public surveys and input.
With little cooperation, including tangible funding proposals, from city and county political leaders, the Browns started zeroing in on Brook Park early in 2024 after exploring options to build a new stadium on Burke Lakefront Airport – twice, the Post Office site south of downtown as well as land off Transportation Ave. and I-480, where the new county jail is going to be built, and land in Independence near Brecksville and Rockside Roads.
The team has proposed a 50-50 public-private split to cover the $2.4 billion cost of the enclosed Brook Park stadium and state legislators are debating how to fund a $600 million contribution from the state.
In addition to the stadium, the Haslams have pledged nearly a billion towards construction of a mixed-use development steps from the new stadium – all to be built on 176 acres of land the team secured bordering Snow and Engle Roads.