CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns are leaving downtown and moving to a new domed stadium in Brook Park. That was the announcement that was made by Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb during a press conference on Thursday.
The move comes as the Browns lease with Huntington Bank Field is set to expire in 2028. The Haslam Sports Group, owners of the Browns, announced earlier this year that they had narrowed their options down to playing in a renovated stadium on the lakefront or a new domed stadium in the suburbs.
Here is some of the reaction from area political leaders following the announcement from Bibb about the Browns eventual move to Brook Park:
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne:
Executive Ronayne has made his position clear: the Browns stadium should remain Downtown. Today he is focused on the business of Cuyahoga County and cheering for a Guardians win tonight.
Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin:
In an interview with 3News' Russ Mitchell, Griffin said there were still plenty of "moving parts" to the Haslam plan to play in Brook Park and he was not going to overreact.
"I think there's still a lot of discussions to happen," Griffin said during his appearance on 3News at 6. "Quite frankly, from what I've been hearing from several people who are in this arena, they say the Brook Park deal is mathematically not going to work."
Cleveland City Councilman Brian Kazy:
The multi-billionaire Haslams’ decision to leave Cleveland for Brook Park is disappointing and reflects a troubling mindset. With the Haslams, it’s all about feeding at the public trough. The ownership is not from Cleveland and clearly does not understand the tradition of the team they own or the needs of one of the poorest cities in America. If they did, they would not be asking this community to commit hundreds of millions, if not billions, to build a stadium when we have a functioning stadium and so many other needs. It's disappointing that the Haslams are looking to pit City against City to fleece taxpayers out of money to build a shiny new fortress. This move demonstrates a lack of genuine commitment to Cleveland and the region. It has always been clear, and this decision further proves that the Haslams’ only focus is their financial gain. Their lack of investment in the city is frankly embarrassing. Cleveland deserves an ownership team that prioritizes the well-being of its community rather than just their profits. The city made a generous offer using non-taxpayer dollars, and I would encourage the County and State not to contribute a single taxpayer dollar to building a new stadium in Brook Park.
Cleveland City Council
Earlier this year, Council directed the Mayor’s Law Department to enforce the Art Modell law - a law passed in '96 to keep the Browns in Cleveland. Council remains committed to the administration following through on this directive.
Scott Skinner, Executive Director of the North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation
The North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation's goal is to develop Cleveland's lakefront into a world class destination that provides equitable access to our lakefront for Clevelanders in every neighborhood while catalyzing economic development in our region. This goal does not change, and is equally important, regardless of whether there is a stadium on the downtown lakefront.
We understand the Haslam Sports Group's decision to focus their new stadium development efforts elsewhere, and their decision to move to Brook Park at the end of the 2028 season.
The City of Cleveland, as well as the greater region, deserve a world class and connected waterfront. The NCWDC and Bibb administration are determined to achieve that goal - our work is not slowing down.
The North Coast Waterfront Development Corporation - along with all of our partners in the public, private, and civic sector - will continue to advance our work to transform Cleveland's lakefront. While our lakefront is already home to world class destinations, there is more that needs to be done to unlock our regional potential.
We are excited for what is to come and look forward to sharing some significant updates on our progress over the next few months.