CLEVELAND — Some Cleveland City Council leaders are wondering why council is still not part of early talks to renovate Cleveland Browns stadium or potentially build a new Browns stadium complex on new site.
Cleveland Councilman Brian Kazy announced a proposed ordinance on April 1, after the Haslam Sports Group confirmed last month it was exploring a 175-acre parcel near Hopkins International Airport in the City of Brook Park as potential site for a new Browns stadium.
The Kazy legislation calls for the enforcement of a state ordinance requiring team owners to go before the city council to ask for permission to move a team, or they would have to give the city six months' notice and offer to put the team up for sale to a third party, who would agree to keep the team in the city.
Kazy told News 5 that the Cleveland City Council needs to be involved in early Browns stadium talks as soon as possible. The lease of the current stadium is set to expire in 2028, and a new stadium will take at least a few years to complete.
“What we’re looking for is the transparency and the openness," Kazy said. “The Browns are obviously involved, the administration got to be involved, Cleveland City Council has got to be involved, the county has to be involved, the state has to be involved, it just can’t be a closed-door session.”
Ward 8 Cleveland Councilman Michael Polensek is in support of the Kazy ordinance, which is set for passage during the April 15 or April 22 council meeting.
Polensek said state regulations need to be enforced to prevent what happened when the Browns left in the mid-90s. Polensek is the only current member of the Cleveland council who helped bring the Browns back to the city in 1999, and said he doesn't want the city and taxpayers to get forced into a tough deal with Browns ownership once again.
“They made the money, we got all the bills, we paid a tremendous price, so at the end of the day I would hope the ownership of the Cleveland Browns realize how the City of Cleveland sacrificed, the residents of the City of Cleveland sacrificed,” Polensek said. “This legislative body has had no input into the process, and the concern is at the eleventh hour something is going to get dumped on us and again we’ll be asked to support something that might not be in the best interest for the taxpayers.”
News 5 contacted the Haslam Sports Group for this story, but it declined to comment on the pending ordinance coming before Cleveland city council for a vote later this month.
It did tell News 5, "we are actively studying other potential stadium options in Northeast Ohio," and referred us to its initial statement:
"We've been clear on how complex future stadium planning can be. One certainty is our commitment to greatly improving our fan experience while also creating a transformative and lasting impact to benefit all of Northeast Ohio. We understand the magnitude of opportunity with a stadium project intent on driving more large-scale events to our region and are methodically looking at every possibility. We appreciate the collaborative process with the City of Cleveland and the leadership of Mayor Bibb in analyzing the landbridge and renovating the current stadium. At the same time, as part of our comprehensive planning efforts, we are also studying other potential stadium options in Northeast Ohio at various additional sites. There is still plenty of work to do and diligence to process before a long term stadium solution is determined and will share further updates at the appropriate time."
Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb also quickly responded to News 5 and again issued the following statement:
My administration is committed to creating a best-in-class lakefront for Cleveland and keeping the Browns downtown is a priority. Over the last two years, my administration has been active and engaged with the Haslam Sports Group (HSG) to understand the needs of the team and collectively work toward an agreement.
We meet regularly with their team to refine shared terms and come to a joint vision and acceptable deal for both parties that improves the experience for residents, sports fans and visitors. HSG has been a great partner and I look forward to continued collaboration and conversation to find the best solution.
Meanwhile, Kazy told News 5 there are other parcels that could accommodate a new Browns stadium within the city limits, like the 40 acres off of Orange Avenue, which is connected to some key city assets.
“Give it to the non-profit Gateway and make that sports complex in the middle of downtown," Kazy said. "You have Rocket Mortgage Field House, you have Progressive Field, you can have Browns stadium, you have the casino, you have Tower City, you have the flats, you have infrastructure already there. Why do you have to reinvent the wheel somewhere else?"
News 5 is committed to following through on the developing story.
