CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have announced that they are looking at additional sites in Northeast Ohio besides the downtown area for a potential new stadium.
The Browns took to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Thursday morning to announce the news. Below is the full statement from Browns/Haslam Sports Group spokesperson Peter John-Baptiste on future stadium planning:
"We've been clear on how complex future stadium planning can be. One certainty is our commitment to greatly improving our fan experience while also creating a transformative and lasting impact to benefit all of Northeast Ohio. We understand the magnitude of opportunity with a stadium project intent on driving more large-scale events to our region and are methodically looking at every possibility. We appreciate the collaborative process with the City of Cleveland and the leadership of Mayor Bibb in analyzing the landbridge and renovating the current stadium. At the same time, as part of our comprehensive planning efforts, we are also studying other potential stadium options in Northeast Ohio at various additional sites. There is still plenty of work to do and diligence to process before a long term stadium solution is determined and will share further updates at the appropriate time."
The current lease for the Browns' lakefront stadium expires in 2028.
The Browns' comments come amid a report from Ken Prendergast of NEOTrans blog that team owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have purchased 176 acres of land in Brook Park, roughly 1,000 feet from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. County sources told 3News Investigates' Lynna Lai that the Haslams began floating the idea of a new stadium outside of downtown Cleveland last summer.
The going cost? Around $2 billion.
Those same sources told Lai that the Haslams would be willing to put up half of the money and would look to cobble together regional, state, and private funding for the rest.
So why this piece of land by the airport? County insiders tell 3News Investigates the Haslams like the ready-made infrastructure, with the I-X Center nearby along with easy interstate access.
On Wednesday afternoon, the city of Cleveland released a statement on the future stadium planning issue from Mayor Justin M. Bibb's Chief of Staff Bradford Davy:
“Keeping the Browns at home on the downtown Cleveland lakefront is a priority for Mayor Bibb and City leadership. We understand and respect how complex this process is and appreciate the partnership we’ve had and will continue to have with the Browns and Haslam Sports Group (HSG).
"The administration has developed a strong, thoughtful and comprehensive package that we believe respects taxpayers and protects the city’s general revenue fund while meeting the needs expressed by the team. This has been shared with the HSG team during our extensive negotiations over the last 8 months. We continue to meet with their team to refine our terms and come to a shared vision and acceptable deal for both parties that improves the experience for residents, sports fans and visitors. The success of our collaboration and commitment on this topic has been recently demonstrated through yesterday’s $20M earmark which advances our shared goal of improving lakefront access to the stadium for everyone.
"The experience of Cleveland residents and visitors to our city is top of mind for us and we are committed to developing our North Coast Lakefront into a world-class, well-programmed, people-focused space and we see the activation of Browns Stadium as a key part of that vision. The mayor's commitment to a vibrant shore-to-core-to-shore plan for Cleveland is steadfast and gaining momentum. Downtown Cleveland is such an integral part of the game day experience and the transformational changes on the horizon promise to make that experience even better.
"Go Browns!”
Lai reached out to Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's office for reaction to the Browns' statement. Officials say the governor was part of a meeting with the Haslams and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in December on the stadium issue. Here is a statement from the governor's office:
"The Governor and First Lady did meet with Jimmy and Dee Haslam in December prior to the Browns vs. Bears game. Commissioner Goodell was also there. Among the topics the Governor, the Haslams, and the Commissioner discussed were different potential options in regard to renovating Cleveland Browns Stadium versus building a new stadium.
"Governor DeWine has previously emphasized the importance of the Browns to the City of Cleveland, the region, and the State of Ohio. Having professional sports is important to the quality of life for our citizens and the role that plays in economic development. There are numerous examples where local communities have coalesced behind plans for local sports facilities and then have subsequently worked with the State and the General Assembly for support. We look forward to further discussions with the parties involved as they pursue any future plans for the Browns."
Thursday's news is the latest episode of the ongoing back-and-forth between the Browns and the city of Cleveland on the future of the stadium. The Haslams first began their push to stay downtown and develop the area around Cleveland Browns Stadium in 2021, when they unveiled plans for a park-like land bridge over State Route 2 and the railroad tracks. The proposal called for a combination of private and public money to help pay for its funding, which was estimated to cost $230 million.
Jimmy and Dee Haslam addressed the future of the stadium on two occasions last year, in March at the NFL Owner's Meetings and then in July as the Browns opened training camp in West Virginia. On both occasions, the Haslams continued to push towards remodeling Cleveland Browns Stadium as opposed to building a new facility.
"We're really working hard with the city, the county, and the state to work out a plan to continue to develop and remodel our stadium on the lakefront," Dee Haslam stated in July of 2023. "We're working through it. It's really complex. It's really hard. A lot of details."
The owners did not rule out the possibility of finding a location elsewhere for a new stadium. However, one thing that was made clear was the Browns are not leaving the area.
"These things take time," Jimmy Haslam added. "The only thing Dee and I would say for sure is we're not leaving Northeastern Ohio. That's for sure. Our preference is to be on the lakefront, but we've got to see how things play out."
Bibb took a firm stance on his approach to contributing city funds for a renovated or new Browns Stadium during last year's State of the City Address.
"My vision right now is making sure we finally see real inclusive development on the lakefront," the mayor said. "While we begin early conversations with the Haslams about the stadium, we want to be creative with how we address this issue because I'm no longer going to risk general revenue fund dollars for maintenance of a privately-owned football franchise."
The city of Cleveland continues to move forward with its plans to develop the lakefront. Planners provided a vision of what the land bridge and a renovated stadium could look like last October, during its "60% presentation" of the North Coast Master Plan.
This week, the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 2, which would allocate $20 million for the North Coast Connector land bridge, the centerpiece of the master plan. The bill is now heading to the Ohio Senate.
Previous Reporting:
- Proposed downtown Cleveland land bridge update: Ohio House passes bill which would allocate $20M to project
- '60% draft' of Cleveland's North Coast Master Plan revealed: See the renderings
- Funding the future of Cleveland Browns Stadium: What will the team and area leaders consider during negotiations?
- 'We're not leaving Northeast Ohio': Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam give update on stadium talks