Browns pitch Brook Park dome, stadium renovation to state lawmakers; seek 50-50 public-private split for both

CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Regardless of which stadium plan the Cleveland Browns choose, they would like to split the public-private cost right down the middle.

Representatives of the team pitched their plans for an extensive renovation to Cleveland Browns Stadium as well as a new dome in Brook Park to a group of bipartisan state lawmakers in Columbus last week.

Team representatives showed lawmakers their vision for both proposed projects, including renderings, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the meeting.

“The vision from the Browns perspective is to generate more than just a stadium, to generate the lakefront, to develop that or to create a new kind of compound with hotels and businesses that all work together,” State representative Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney told 92.3 The Fan Tuesday. “Both plans do that very clearly, and obviously one with a dome and one without.”

Sweeney indicated that discussions with state lawmakers are in the preliminary stage.

The Browns are not requesting or proposing any additional local tax revenue streams to cover the public investment for either project. A source familiar with the talks mentioned that a hotel tax is being contemplated. The team believes tax revenue generated through admissions, sales, payroll and other taxes associated with a stadium provide an equitable return on investment for the public as well as local municipalities.

Multiple sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the ongoing negotiations, told 92.3 The Fan that the initial proposal outlined in last week’s meeting would see the public funding for either project divided as follows: 25% for the state of Ohio and 25% to be split among the city and county.

With the state capital budget expected to be completed later this spring or early summer, state funding for a renovation or new dome would likely be pursued for Ohio’s next biannual budget. That process doesn’t begin until January.

“Our meetings last week in Columbus were part of our process and diligence around finding the best long-term stadium solution that will be beneficial to our fans and our region,” Browns senior vice president of communications Peter John-Baptiste said in a statement to 92.3 The Fan.

Officials from the city of Cleveland held a similar meeting with Columbus lawmakers concerning the Browns stadium renovation a week earlier.

As we’ve previously reported, a renovation to Cleveland Browns Stadium has been estimated to cost between $1-1.2 billion.

The city owned lakefront stadium, which opened in 1999 and has had over $25 million in emergency repairs completed in recent years, would see the addition of curtain walls on the north and south sides, expanded concourses, massive video boards, expansion of the service level underneath the stadium, new clubs, locker rooms, seating amenities and staging areas in conjunction with additional development around the lakefront, including a land bridge connecting to downtown Cleveland.

“I feel comfort in that both sides are kind of saying the same thing – that they are trying to find a solution that works for all parties, that they feel like there's transparency, a good faith relationship,” Sweeney said. “So that at least gives me confidence that at this stage that one is not trying to pull the rug under the other and they're working with good faith. The Haslams are trying to make a business decision and Cleveland has to [protect their interests]. People were just honest about that, and it gives me an indication that we're setting a stage for a very good foundation.”

Sources familiar with the Browns plans also tell 92.3 The Fan the team is proposing the same public-private split for a $2.4 billion dome that could be built on nearly 176 acres of land off Snow and Engle Roads in Brook Park.

It has yet to be determined who would own and operate the dome should it be built, but a source familiar with the team’s thinking tells 92.3 The Fan that all options remain on the table – the Browns, city of Brook Park, Cuyahoga County or the State of Ohio.

The cost of both projects does not include additional infrastructure improvements and would require additional funding sources tell 92.3 The Fan.

As part of the Brook Park dome project, the Browns are also proposing an entertainment district that would include shops, dining and possibly hotels to be built adjacent to the dome, but that portion of the project is not part of the overall price tag for the dome and would likely be funded privately should the dome be built.

The Haslam Sports group has an option to buy the Brook Park property, which used to house a Ford plant that has since been razed along with other buildings. Site cleanup and preparation has been underway since the property changed hands in 2022. According to Cuyahoga County property records, the county valued the land at $25,366,200 for the 2023 tax year.

Traffic studies for the Brook Park area have yet to be completed and determining any allocation of federal or state funding for highway and road improvements cannot begin until those studies are completed.

Because State Routes 237 and 291 run parallel to the Brook Park property, the state of Ohio would need to participate upgrading both roads to accommodate a new stadium. With a planned $3 billion overhaul of Hopkins International Airport in the works, extensive work on State Route 237 is already included in the scope of the airport plan. Any work to modify I-480 and I-71 to accommodate additional traffic for the dome would have to involve the Federal Highway Administration.

As for what the dome will look like, due to the proximity to Hopkins International Airport, the Browns are proposing to build much of it below grade, meaning an extensive excavation would be required, similar to how SoFi Stadium in Los Angles was built.

In addition to working on where the Browns will play football come 2029, the Haslam Sports Group continues to move forward with plans for a massive $195 million development project to be built on 16 acres of land, acquired in stages by the team in recent years, adjacent to their training facility, CrossCountry Mortgage Campus, on Lou Groza Blvd.

The Berea project includes over $180 million in private investment.

The city of Berea recently applied for $15 million in state funding from the capital budget for a new community rec center and multi-use community field to be built as part of the Browns planned development, referred to as the 'North End Community Redevelopment Project.'

According the the application for state funding submitted by Berea mayor Cyril Kleem earlier this month, the city of Berea will have a long-term lease for the rec center and a joint-use agreement for the community field with an annual operating cost of $7.5 million that would be reimbursed by tenants and paid for through various municipal funds according to the application.

The proposed development would also include a hotel, a University Hospitals sports medicine facility, apartments, dormitory for Baldwin Wallace University, restaurants and a parking garage according to the application.