CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Following a seven year search, the Cleveland Browns have decided to pursue a new dome in Brook Park multiple sources tell 92.3 The Fan.
Last month the team informed Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb of their decision to forgo a $1.2 billion renovation of the existing lakefront stadium and pursue construction of a $2.4 billion dome in Brook Park according to sources familiar with the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the conversation.
Browns principal and managing partner Jimmy Haslam and chief operating officer David Jenkins broke the news to Bibb in a closed-door meeting at City Hall on September 9 as the two sides began crafting an exit strategy for the team.
An official announcement is expected from Cleveland City Hall Thursday afternoon.
In early August, Bibb offered the Browns $461 million in funding for a renovation over 30 years through a combination of city admissions tax, county sin tax and event day parking revenue from the Muni Lot and Willard Garage in his proposal to the team.
Due to the condition of the existing stadium and the current and future capital repairs needs, the funding proposed by Bibb would not be sufficient to cover those needs over a new 30-year lease sources tell 92.3 The Fan.
The decision to pursue a new 67,500 capacity dome with 65,000 seats in Brook Park is the culmination of a stadium planning process that began in 2017, shortly after the Browns completed a $125 million upgrade to the stadium and ultimately led the Browns to the old Ford plant site on Engle and Snow Roads.
The team investigated a variety of sites for a potential new stadium or dome over the last eight years including 80-plus acres located off I-480 and Transportation Blvd., the I-480, I-77 and Rockside Rd. area in Independence, Burke Lakefront Airport as well as land near the post office south of downtown Cleveland.
Since the Browns released renderings of the proposed Brook Park dome in early August, Bibb along with county executives have been campaigning for the Browns to renovate the existing stadium and then build a new dome at the Burke Lakefront Airport site once it becomes available when the airport gets closed.
The Browns revisited the proposal as part of their due diligence but declined the plan due to similar accessibility challenges the current stadium has, significant infrastructure costs related to improving and accessing the site, the need for a complete re-design of the dome, skyrocketing construction costs that could top $5 billion for the dome alone, a significant renovation to the existing stadium would still be required which would significantly increase the public investment, and the land may not be available until the airport could be closed in 2036.
In September, the city of Cleveland announced the results of two studies – a feasibility to close and economic impact – related to the potential closure of Burke Lakefront Airport.
Following the completion of their original stadium site surveys and evaluations, the Haslam Sports Group secured a purchase option agreement for 176 acres of land for the dome and development just east of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Brook Park earlier this year.
The Haslam Sports Group has pledged $1.2 billion plus cost overruns to the dome project while requesting the remaining $1.2 billion plus infrastructure costs be covered by state, county, and local municipality contributions.
Team officials have been lobbying at the state, county, and local levels for months to secure funding for both projects, but now the focus will be on the new Brook Park dome and development.
An agreement or announcement is needed before any formal legislative discussions can take place at the state level.
The Cincinnati Bengals are also seeking state funding towards a proposed $1.2 billion renovation of Paycor Stadium, which opened in 2000.
With the lakefront stadium lease set to expire following the 2028 season, the Haslam Sports Group is eager to open the Brook Park dome in August 2029 to avoid construction timeline delays that will add an estimated 5-10% per year to the overall cost of the project.
Earlier this month the Browns secured a 20-year stadium naming rights agreement with Columbus-based Huntington Bank, including the transfer of the new name – Huntington Bank Field – from the existing stadium to the new Brook Park dome.
In addition to negotiations with the city of Cleveland, the Browns have also spent the last 18 months working with Brook Park officials on their plans for the possible dome and adjoining mixed use development which will include hotels, restaurants, bars, retail, and housing that will be privately financed at a cost of between $1-1.4 billion.
Estimated infrastructure costs for the Brook Park site as the result of traffic studies conducted earlier this year came in at around $40 million sources tell 92.3 The Fan, significantly less than the proposed $450 million lakefront connector project to make the lakefront more accessible to cars and pedestrians for the existing stadium and future development projects.
In addition to providing the Browns an additional revenue stream in the form of 20,000 new parking spaces, the team believes the new dome and development complex will enable Cleveland to pursue a variety of marquee events: College Football Playoff games, including the national championship; the BIG championship game; neutral site college football games; major concert tours, including in-season; the NCAA Men’s Final Four; another NFL Draft as well as other events that can’t be bid on even with a massive renovation to the existing stadium.
Sources tell 92.3 The Fan that the Haslam Sports Group has been working with the Port Authority in recent months to have their dome and development construction ally with the $3 billion overhaul of Hopkins International Airport, especially with the expected reconfiguration of State Route 237 as part of that project. Infrastructure improvements would also include an RTA ‘Red Line,’ which runs to Hopkins from downtown, tie-in to the dome and development.
After being informed of the Browns decision, Bibb made three requests of the Haslam Sports Group according to sources familiar with the meeting who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the conversation. The first was that the Browns pay for the demolition of the current stadium, which should cost between $15-25 million. Bibb also sought financial support for small business owners impacted by the team’s departure to Brook Park as well as support from the Haslam Sports Group and Browns for the development of the lakefront.
With the stadium decision finally made, the Haslam Sports Group will now move full steam ahead to complete securing financing for the project so they can complete construction in time for the start of the 2029 season.