But that’s not the talk in Ohio right now. Instead, it’s all about the Browns unveiling plans for a $2.4 billion dome stadium in the Brook Park location. The renderings are absolutely awesome .
Whether this actually comes to fruition remains to be seen.
The Browns have played at their current stadium in downtown Cleveland for the past quarter century. They had previously played at the old Cleveland Municipal Stadium from 1946-1995.
Owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam have made it clear that they want a new modern venue rather than renovating their lakefront, open-air stadium. But Cuyahoga County officials are seemingly not on board.
“Today we are writing to affirm our united commitment to keep the Browns in Downtown Cleveland for generations to come,” letter to the Cleveland Browns from city officials . “The proposal to build a new stadium in Brook Park does not make fiscal sense for Cuyahoga County residents and taxpayers. Moreover, any proposal that would create an unacceptable risk to the County’s general fund cannot be considered. We believe it is our responsibility and in the best interests of our community to prioritize reinvestment in existing public assets.”
These are always controversial situations. That is to say, teams asking for public funding and cities pushing back against that. We’ve seen it on a near never-ending loop in the sports world. Most recently, the Las Vegas Raiders’ decision to relocate from Oakland for the 2020 season put public financing on the front burner.
Cleveland Browns respond to city officials about proposed new stadium
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
“A stadium project that could be a transformational opportunity for this region will take deep thought, objectivity, innovation, and patience. The process of renovating or building a new stadium is incredibly complex. We have been reminded many times that the issues with the current stadium resulted from a rushed process that was not thorough and don’t want that repeated. We have received the county’s response and are still in the process of gathering information and doing diligence on both paths,” the Haslams responded.
“It would be short-sighted for Northeast Ohio to rule out any options at this point for a long-term decision of this magnitude. We look forward to the City of Cleveland’s responses to our detailed questions regarding their [stadium renovation] proposal from last week and we remain committed to collaborating and communicating with all parties involved.”
We’re still ways away from anything coming to fruition on this end. As the Haslams noted, patience has to be the name of the game.
For now, it’s readily apparent that the Browns and Cleveland are not in lock step.
As for the overall finances of the situation, Jimmy Haslam is said to be worth $8 billion. He could fund the venue himself.
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