CLEVELAND (WJW) – Sources confirm to the FOX 8 I-Team that officials with the Cleveland Browns are looking at land in the Brook Park area but have not purchased any property.
The source added that the Browns need to do a lot of work and diligence around the stadium project.
No decisions have been made on whether the Browns will build a new stadium or renovate the current one.
The I-Team also reached out to Brook Park Mayor Ed Orcutt. When asked what he has heard about the Browns ownership buying a big block of property in Brook Park, he said, “Nothing.”
The mayor added the Browns have not approached the City of Brook Park or the planning commission there about any project.
We have reached out to the Browns for a statement.
Here’s their response:
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 Browns/Haslam Sports Group spokesperson Peter John-Baptiste
Bradford Davy, the city of Cleveland’s chief of staff, in a statement released Thursday said keeping the Browns on the lakefront is a priority for Mayor Justin Bibb:
We understand and respect how complex this process is and appreciate the partnership we’ve had and will continue to have with the Browns and Haslam Sports Group (HSG).
The administration has developed a strong, thoughtful and comprehensive package that we believe respects taxpayers and protects the city’s general revenue fund while meeting the needs expressed by the team. This has been shared with the HSG team during our extensive negotiations over the last 8 months. We continue to meet with their team to refine our terms and come to a shared vision and acceptable deal for both parties that improves the experience for residents, sports fans and visitors. The success of our collaboration and commitment on this topic has been recently demonstrated through yesterday’s $20M earmark which advances our shared goal of improving lakefront access to the stadium for everyone.
The experience of Cleveland residents and visitors to our city is top of mind for us and we are committed to developing our North Coast Lakefront into a world-class, well-programmed, people-focused space and we see the activation of Browns Stadium as a key part of that vision. The mayor’s commitment to a vibrant shore-to-core-to-shore plan for Cleveland is steadfast and gaining momentum. Downtown Cleveland is such an integral part of the game day experience and the transformational changes on the horizon promise to make that experience even better.
Go Browns!
City of Cleveland Chief of Staff Bradford Davy
Peggy Gallek
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