Behind the proposal: How Cleveland is trying to keep Browns on the lakefront

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CLEVELAND (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team revealed a City of Cleveland offer to try to keep the Browns in the stadium on the lakefront, so we investigated what it means for the team and you.

Thursday morning, I-Team gave the first look at the city’s offer to help remake Browns Stadium.

The city calls it a $461 million package with no impact on city services such as police or snow plowing.

It comes to light as the team is considering making major renovations to the stadium or building a dome in Brook Park.

We found the city is offering to pay for about half of the stadium renovations.

The city’s offer would give the Browns money over 30 years, not all at once. The biggest chunk of money would come from expected increases on what’s collected in taxes on tickets.

We asked the mayor’s chief of staff about that.

“This is not a new tax. What we know is, ticket prices have gone up pretty consistently year over year. What we’re suggesting is utilizing the increase in those admission taxes,” Bradford Davy said.

We also wondered how this might affect tailgating, and that’s not clear yet.

Another big chunk of money would come from allowing the Browns to collect cash from parking on game days at a city garage and the Muni Lot.

The city says the Browns would decide what happens at the Muni Lot with tailgating.

“It would be theirs to decide. But again, we want to make sure that we make available all of the resources that would help keep the Cleveland Browns in Cleveland,” Bradford Davy said.

The city says none of these terms should be a surprise to the Browns. Talks have gone on for a long time, but the mayor sent a letter to the Browns asking for an answer by August 12.

The city has also proposed helping to fund the stadium renovations using money from a Cuyahoga County sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes. The city has also proposed using money from a reserve fund it has for stadium projects.

We also asked about state tax money for a Browns project.

“Our office remains in discussion with the Browns organization and the Ohio General Assembly, but it is not accurate that an agreement is in place nor any numbers have been agreed to. It is accurate that productive discussions remain ongoing,” said the governor’s press secretary Dan Tierney.

Meanwhile, this week the mayor of Brook Park spoke exclusively to the I-Team. He told us he’s still looking into what a dome might mean for Brook Park and what his town would have to do to maintain a dome and provide security.

Still, Ed Orcutt spoke of the benefits of a dome, saying, “the experience would be enhanced. Fans would be able to tailgate and walk to the stadium instead of walking and taking maybe an hour to get to your seat.”

As for Cleveland’s pitch, the Browns released a statement:

“We appreciate the latest proposal from Mayor Bibb and his administration and will be following up with the City of Cleveland to better understand the details while we are still reviewing it. As we have said consistently throughout this process, we continue to communicate and collaborate with the cities of Cleveland and Brook Park, Cuyahoga County and the State of Ohio on a long-term stadium solution that creates a world-class experience for our fans and positively impacts Northeast Ohio. We are working diligently to comprehensively examine all options to identify the best path for not only our fans, but also Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Our region deserves to be thought of as evolving, forward-thinking and innovative, so we need to think boldly and creatively in this process. It’s important to reiterate that the goal is to come up with the best experience we can for our fans while creating a long-term, sustainable stadium solution that drives an impact that benefits Cleveland, the Northeast Ohio region and the entire State of Ohio. We will continue to provide updates as we have more information to share.”

We also got reaction from a Browns fan who’s been a season ticket holder for 50 years.

“I’m glad that the City of Cleveland has made a proposal to keep them downtown,” said Reverend Jimmy Gates. “My blood is red and orange, and wherever they go, I’d go, but my preference is downtown Cleveland.”

So, what if the Browns don’t give an answer by the city’s deadline? Well, the city wants an answer, but that deadline also could be adjusted.

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Ed Gallek

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