CLEVELAND — Renderings commissioned by Destination Cleveland show what a domed stadium for the Browns might look like at the site currently occupied by Burke Lakefront Airport.
The images of the proposed 70,000-seat dome and surrounding district with hotels, retail space, residential units, parking and marina comes less than two weeks after the Haslam Sports Group, the owners of the Browns, confirmed plans to relocate from downtown Cleveland to a domed stadium in Brook Park.
In a statement to 3News, Destination Cleveland Vice President of PR and Communications Emily Lauer explained why the agency that promotes tourism in Greater Cleveland decided to get involved in the stadium process:
"In anticipation of requests for support regarding the future home of the Cleveland Browns, Destination Cleveland's Board of Directors voted to remain neutral. No matter where the team plays, the organization’s job is to promote the Cleveland football experience. The Board also concluded that the only way Destination Cleveland could provide value to the negotiations would be – if needed – to conduct research to inform decision making.
"Given the unanswered questions about the viability of Burke Lakefront Airport as a development site, Destination Cleveland engaged relevant partners to specifically determine if the airport land could accommodate the program the Browns had proposed in Brook Park. The City and County were informed of the project at its onset. Upon completion, the study was released only to the City and County, with the understanding that they would decide whether to provide the information to Haslam Sports Group. The study has not been provided by Destination Cleveland to any entities or individuals other than the City and County."
You can see the renderings below:
According to Susan Glaser of 3News media partner Cleveland.com, Destination Cleveland paid for the study in September. Glaser also reports that according to Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne, the Haslam Sports Group were shown Destination Cleveland's renderings 10 days before Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb held a briefing to announce the Browns owners' decision.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
On Oct. 17, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb announced that the Haslam Sports Group decided to move ahead on building a new domed stadium for the team to play in Brook Park. Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam confirmed the news in a statement after Bibb's press conference.
"A solution like this will be transformative not only for Cleveland and Northeast Ohio, but also the entire state of Ohio from the resulting events, tourism, and job creation," the Haslams wrote. "Additionally, moving the current stadium will allow the city and region's collective vision for the Cleveland lakefront to be optimally realized, and downtown will benefit from the major events the Brook Park dome brings to the region."
Bibb said he was informed of the Haslams' decision during a meeting with the pair on Oct. 16.
"The Haslams' choice to move the team away from this progress is frustrating and profoundly disheartening," Bibb said, pointing to recent successes in the downtown area including the groundbreaking of the Cavaliers' new training center and the awarding of $60 million in federal funds for the North Coast Connector.
The lease with the Browns at Huntington Bank Field will run through 2028.
Meanwhile, the Browns filed a federal lawsuit last week asking that the Modell Law, passed in 1996 and named for former Browns owner Art Modell, who moved the team from Cleveland to Baltimore, be declared either unconstitutional or not applicable to the Browns' plans to relocate their stadium to Brook Park.
The law states the following:
"No owner of a professional sports team that uses a tax-supported facility for most of its home games and receives financial assistance from the state or a political subdivision thereof shall cease playing most of its home games at the facility and begin playing most of its home games elsewhere unless the owner either:
- (A) Enters into an agreement with the political subdivision permitting the team to play most of its home games elsewhere;
- (B) Gives the political subdivision in which the facility is located not less than six months' advance notice of the owner's intention to cease playing most of its home games at the facility and, during the six months after such notice, gives the political subdivision or any individual or group of individuals who reside in the area the opportunity to purchase the team."
The provision of the law at issue, according to 3News legal analyst Stephanie Haney, is the requirement for the Browns owners to entertain offers to buy the team from investors who would keep the team in downtown Cleveland, before they can carry out their plan to move the team to Brook Park.
THE FUTURE OF BURKE LAKEFRONT AIRPORT
In September, the city of Cleveland has released a pair of studies that seemingly laid the groundwork towards closing Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL) amid decades of discussion and speculation about the future of the 77-year-old downtown business airport.
One study prepared by CHA Consulting laid out the potential options for closing Burke, while the the other report from EConsult Solutions Inc., explored both the economical impact of shuttering the airport as well as redevelopment scenarios.
The study prepared by EConsult Solutions Inc., states that currently, "approximately $76.6 million of direct economic activity takes place at BKL annually. This activity includes airport operations, private passenger service, medical transport, flight training, and non-aviation related activity that uses the BKL for office space."
In its release, the city termed the current economic impact of BKL as "relatively small."
Since 1964, Burke Lakefront Airport has hosted the annual Cleveland National Air Show. The study says "approximately one third of the true economic loss of closing BKL is due to the expected cessation of the Cleveland National Air Show, which cannot transfer to any airport in the County in its current form."
According to 3News partner SignalCleveland, Cleveland officials met with the FAA about potentially closing Burke. That includes a meeting between Bibb and the agency’s associate administrator of airports in May.
As SignalCleveland's Nick Castele wrote, "so far, the FAA does not sound enthusiastic about the idea."
Castele adds that if the airport closed, Cleveland would have to repay about $10 million in federal grant money. Those grants require the city to keep Burke open.
You can read more of CHA Consulting's study below:
In recent years, Burke has served mainly as a corporate airport for business executives as well as a site for medical transport. The last remaining commercial carrier, Ultimate Air Shuttle, suspended service at BKL in 2021 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Burke Lakefront Airport is also often the preferred landing site for visiting professional sports teams' charter flights. Several flight schools utilize the airport, which is also home to the International Women's Air & Space Museum.
Since 1964, Burke Lakefront Airport has hosted the annual Cleveland National Air Show. From 1982 to 2007, BKL was also the site of the Grand Prix of Cleveland Indy car race in the CART Series (later Champ Car).