Haslam: Lessons learned from Crew's Lower.com Field as Browns' owners mull new stadium

It didn't take long for Crew owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam and Pete Edwards to realize that they may have underestimated fan support when they built Lower.com Field in the Arena District.

"We didn't build it big enough," Dee Haslam said Tuesday. "We learned that pretty quickly because we have a tremendous fan base."

The nearly 3-year-old stadium has a listed capacity of 20,139 seats. Last Saturday's regular-season match against CF Montreal that ended 0-0 drew a record 20,927 fans, even more than the attendance for last season's MLS Cup final on Dec. 9.

"It's looked upon as the best stadium in the MLS," said Haslam, interviewed by Ohio Chamber President Steve Stivers at the Columbus Museum of Art for the chamber's annual State of Business Summit.

The stadium has drawn attention to the city and has become a template for other stadium designs, including Northwestern's new football field, she said. The stadium also has been picked to host this year's MLS All-Star Game.

"The fans have come out and they have truly made such a difference in how our players feel about our own stadium," she said.

Cleveland Browns dome stadium?

The context of the stadium comes as the Haslams continue initial work on a potential new stadium for the Cleveland Browns, who they bought in 2012. The Haslems also are part owner of the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA.

“It's incredibly complex," she said. "Lots of details to work through."

Two ideas are being considered: Renovation of the existing Cleveland Browns Stadium along Lake Erie or a domed stadium in suburban Brook Park near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

“We have two amazing opportunities," she said. "We’re really excited. One of the things we care about is things for the fans. Right now we’re not doing a great job with that.’’

Among the problems is parking and access to the stadium, she said.

The value of a dome stadium is that it could be used for events other than Browns games such as hosting Big 10 championships, concerts and basketball games, said Haslam and her son-in-law, JW Johnson III, executive vice president of the Browns and a partner of the Haslam Sports Group.

The recent NCAA Women's Final Four in Cleveland drew an estimated $30 million for the local economy, Johnson said.

"How you can do that on a regular basis is super important," he said.

Regardless of what option is taken, Haslem said the lakefront must be redeveloped.

She recalled her initial trip to Cleveland in 2012 when she asked someone about taking a walk along the lake.

“He looked at me like I was crazy. There’s no way to get to the lakefront,’’ she said he told her.

It was at that point that she became passionate about the need to redevelop the lake.

"How you can have this incredible city and not have access to the lakefront,’’ she said.

Regardless of how the project proceeds, it will require the kind of public-private partnership that was needed to build Lower.com Field, Johnson said.

"We have to have that public partnership to create these great stadiums,’’ he said.

“It's not just about us," Haslam said. "It’s about what is the best thing for the state. What is the best thing for the region what’s the best thing for the city of Cleveland."

"Those relationship are really important to us. We’re going to be here for a long time.’’

Haslam and Johnson recognize that commitment such partnerships require of taxpayers.

"We go into the process on how can we be good partners, not how can we win. ... We also recognize that taxpayers have to have a return," she said. "It has to be good use of their dollars."

mawilliams@dispatch.com

@BizMarkWilliams

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Haslam: Lessons learned from Crew's Lower.com Field as Browns' owners mull new stadium