WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — As the Cleveland Browns focus on the upcoming season on the football field, the team's owners are also in ongoing discussions with city, county, and state leaders on the future of their stadium.
During Monday's training camp at the Greenbriar in West Virginia, Dee and Jimmy Haslam addressed the status of those talks in a 20 minute conversation with reporters. As was the case when the duo spoke in March at the NFL Owner's Meeting, the Haslams continue to push towards remodeling Cleveland Browns Stadium as opposed to building a new facility.
"We’re really working hard with the city, the county, and the state to work out a plan to continue to develop and remodel our stadium on the lakefront," Dee Haslam stated. "We’re working through it. It’s really complex. It’s really hard. A lot of details."
The Browns owners did not rule out the possibility of finding a location elsewhere for a new stadium. However, one thing that was made clear on Monday was the Browns are not leaving the area. "These things take time," Jimmy Haslam said. "The only thing Dee (Haslam) and I would say for sure is we're not leaving Northeastern Ohio. That's for sure. Our preference is to be on the lakefront, but we've gotta see how things play out."
The team's lease with the city for Cleveland Browns Stadium is set to expire in 2028.
The Haslams are not only advocating for a renovated Cleveland Browns Stadium, but also a developed lakefront area downtown. In 2021, the Haslam Sports Group first unveiled plans for a park-like land bridge over State Route 2 and the railroad tracks. The idea behind the bridge is to link the lakefront area around Cleveland Browns Stadium, Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the rest of downtown, specifically to the mall atop the Huntington Convention Center.
The proposal called for a combination of private and public money to help pay for its funding, which was estimated to cost $230 million.
The city of Cleveland recently allocated $3 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for design and a feasibility study of what it calls the "North Coast Connector." On Thursday, the connector is expected to be part of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb's North Coast Master Plan when he holds an "exploration event" at the Great Lakes Science Center.
Earlier this summer, it appeared that the state of Ohio was set to make a major investment into the proposed land bridge when the Ohio House allocated $62 million for the project in its 2024-25 budget proposal. However, the Ohio Senate countered with a different budget plan which eliminated the land bridge allocation.
Despite the setback in Columbus, the Haslams still are hopeful that a land bridge is part of the future of downtown.
"The lakefront is just an important process. Outside of us (the Browns), the lakefront in Cleveland has to be developed. You need a vibrant city, that’s a really important part of who Cleveland should be. I think the connection bridge needs to happen, regardless of what happens with our stadium. That has to happen," said Dee Haslam.
The Haslams pointed to their recent success in getting a new stadium built in Columbus for their Major League Soccer franchise as hope for getting something done in Cleveland. "That was not easy, it was done during COVID," Jimmy Haslam said. "But it's a brand new stadium, sell out every game, All-Star game there. There's going to be substantial multi-family office and retail around it. That's ended up being a win."
"We are great partners in Columbus with city, county, and state," Dee Haslam added. "And I think that's our goal here, too."
