CLEVELAND (WJW) — The FOX 8 I-Team has found heavy equipment moving dirt at the site in Brook Park where the Browns plan to build a dome.
It’s new evidence the Browns are moving ahead with construction, despite court challenges that remain unsettled.
We’ve learned what’s going on at the site is not actual construction of the dome — instead, work to prepare the site.
The Browns plan to break ground very early next year and begin playing in a dome in 2029. It’s a multi-billion-dollar project in Cuyahoga County and the first dome to be built in Ohio.
Haslam Sports Group on Thursday released new photos of how the enclosed Huntington Bank Field would look:
The stadium will serve as the centerpiece of Northeast Ohio’s largest economic development initiative to date. Designed and built with the fan and community in mind, the stadium will feature the world-class venue alongside a vibrant mixed-use entertainment district led by award-winning development partner and real estate firm Lincoln Property Company that will spur long-term economic growth and celebrate the region’s spirit and identity. The transformative project will secure the Browns’ future in Northeast Ohio for generations to come.
The stadium is expected to have 67,500 seats, and be able to accommodate crowds up to 75,000 for “year-round events “large-scale” events year-round, including the NCAA Final Four, international soccer and concerts, according to a news release.
Browns fans will be sitting closer to the field than at any other stadium in the NFL, according to the release. The new stadium will also feature a “new and modernized Dawg Pound.”
The stadium roof, “inspired by Cleveland’s iconic atriums,” will be translucent, allowing in natural light. It’ll be the first “long-span” roof without a truss, enhancing sightlines, according to the release.
Construction is expected to create more than 6,000 jobs and the stadium itself is expected to create thousands of new employment positions, according to the release.
Haslam Sports Group also announced the project’s construction managers, AECOM Hunt and Turner Construction Company, which built the Cleveland Guardians’ Progressive Field and have more than 55 years experience in building NFL stadiums, according to the release.
They also worked on the Atlanta Falcons’ Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which opened in 2017; the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Stadium of the Future, scheduled for completion in 2028; and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Intuit Dome, which opened in 2024.
Matters still pending
The team recently received a permit from the Ohio Department of Transportation to build, after that permit had initially been denied since the dome would be across the highway from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
In the meantime, the city of Cleveland is fighting the Browns in court, trying to force the team to remain in the current stadium on the lakefront. Former Mayor Dennis Kucinich has also filed his own suit, which he calls a “taxpayer’s lawsuit.”
At the same time, the Browns have filed their own suit in federal court, trying to clear the way for them to move.
The team would not move until the end of its lease in the current stadium.
Much of the legal action against the Browns has revolved around the Modell Law, which restricts a sports team from moving while giving the city a chance to find new owners for the team.
Just months ago, state lawmakers changed that law to allow teams to move anywhere in the state.
The courts may have to decide if the Modell Law still affects the Browns’ move to a dome or not.
The city of Brook Park is also preparing for the Browns to move there and is asking the state for money for road projects to handle traffic around a dome.
Through it all, crews are now moving dirt at the site.
Ed Gallek
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