The Cleveland Browns are talking to state officials about investing in either a domed stadium outside of downtown Cleveland that could cost nearly $2.5 billion, or a billion-dollar renovation of the existing stadium on the lakefront.
One lawmaker who met with them says it’s very early in the process, but he has some concerns.
House Finance Committee chair Jay Edwards (R-Nelsonville) confirmed he met with Browns officials and lobbyists for about 15 minutes, to go over drawings and talk about the idea of state investment in a new or renovated stadium.
"I think their big concern is they want to have an option for more parking. They're limited downtown. I think they want to have more options to have concerts and things year-round as opposed to only being in the warm months being an outdoor venue," Edwards said. "I don't think there's anything set in stone yet. Obviously, this will have to be a consideration if they do come and ask for any state bonding or state funds."
Edwards is leaving office in December because he's term limited, so he wouldn’t be part of those future discussions. But he said they could get sticky.
“It kind of opens up a can of worms of continued funding for stadiums and you know that the more you do, the more the teams and leagues are going to come to you and ask for future money for their projects," Edwards said.
“When you go down this path that every other team in the state is gonna sit there and say, 'well, you know, what about our stadium'? Maybe it's not a new stadium for those folks, maybe to upgrade to their current facility," Edwards added. "So that's definitely something that we've got to take into consideration. You don't want to tie the hands of future General Assemblies.”
Edwards said a deal would depend on specifics, such as whether the local funding would be a bond issue that would be put before voters. But he expects the team to come back to the state to ask for help.
In 1998, the state contributed $21.79 million for the construction of a new Browns, after the team had moved to Baltimore and the NFL awarded Cleveland an expansion franchise. That year the state also put up $22 million for a new Bengals stadium in Cincinnati. Browns owner Jimmy Haslam announced a $120 million renovation in 2014 and 2015, financed by the team and the city of Cleveland. The Browns talked about renovations to the stadium last year, with the team's lease set to expire in 2028.
Teams have had mixed success in taking stadium funding issues to voters.
In April, Kansas City voters rejected a sales tax increase to raise $2 billion for MLB and NFL facilities, a little over two months after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. But in December, voters in Oklahoma City approved a sales tax increase to raise $900 million for a new NBA arena for the Thunder. Voters in Tempe outside of Phoenix rejected spending $2.3 billion in public dollars on an entertainment district that would include an NHL arena for the Coyotes in May 2023. The team announced in April they were moving to Salt Lake City.
