WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, WV (92.3 The Fan) – The future of Cleveland’s downtown lakefront and the stadium that sits right on the shores of Lake Erie appears far from coming into focus anytime soon.
In late June $62 million in potential state funding for a land bridge to connect the malls from downtown Cleveland to north coast harbor did not make into the final state budget for this fiscal year, slowing the process of that project exponentially, but the Browns remain committed to renovating their city-owned stadium and pursuing development of the lakefront.
Browns managing and principal partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam spoke Monday afternoon at The Greenbrier about their hope for a revitalized lakefront that includes and renovated stadium.
“These are big complex projects and they’re going to be a public-private partnership and getting that right is not easy,” Jimmy Haslam said Monday at The Greebrier in West Virginia. “We do have experience from having done it down in Columbus and did it quickly and that was not easy. It was done during Covid, et cetera, but brand new stadiums sell out every game, [we were awarded an] all-star game there. There’s going to be substantial multi-family retail and office development around it. That’s ended up being a win. These things take time.
“The only thing Dee and I would say for sure is we’re not leaving northeastern Ohio. Okay, that’s for sure. Our preference is to be on the lakefront, but you got to see how things play out and it will be fluid and there will be bumps on the road and it may be different in three months than it is now.”
In 2021 the Browns unveiled a spectacular vision for connecting the stadium to downtown including a land bridge and development to the north of the stadium. Feasibility studies have been conducted and lobbying for funding has been ongoing.
The team also hired an architect to design a proposed overhaul of the existing stadium, which opened in 1999 and received a $125 million makeover with the team covering $100 million in those costs from 2014-2015, while engaging in extensive discussions with the city, county and state regarding the project which could cost north of $1 billion.
“We’re really working hard with the city and the county and the state to work out a plan to continue to develop and remodel our stadium on the lakefront,” Dee Haslam said. “So we’re working through it. I mean, it’s really complex, really hard, a lot of details and we look forward to continuing our conversations with the city on how we develop the lakefront. We think we’re an integral part of the lakefront, really important part and we want to be part of the process.”
The city of Cleveland is in the process of putting their vision for the lakefront together after soliciting public input and hiring a consultant last year.
That proposal becomes a critical next step.
The Browns are standing by.
“Number one, we want to continue to have conversations about how we remodel the stadium and stay vibrant on the lakefront,” Dee Haslam said. “We think it’s really critical for the community. The lakefront is just an important process outside of us. The lakefront in Cleveland has to be developed. You need a vibrant city. That’s a really important part of who Cleveland should be. And I think the connection bridge needs to happen regardless of what happens with our stadium. That has to happen.”
With the focus remaining on overhauling the existing stadium, does that rule out a brand new stadium?
“I mean think it’s premature to say that because we’re really focused on staying downtown on the lakefront,” Dee Haslam said. “But I can't predict it’s going to happen because it’s really complex.”
