A new study released Thursday by the Cleveland Browns asserts the team's planned relocation from Downtown to Brook Park will unlock more than $1 billion annually in economic impact for Northeast Ohio, but Cuyahoga County officials are pushing back.
The study, conducted by real estate consulting company RCLCO, estimates a mixed-used, domed facility in the Greater Cleveland suburb will return generously on the Haslam Sports Groups' $2.4 billion stadium plans.
Citing other sports-anchored facilities across the country such as The Battery in Atlanta and Titletown in Green Bay, the study estimates capacity for an additional 1.5 million visitors annually through mixed-use programming, as well as the creation of 5,400 new and permanent jobs.
The team's owners have said they want the public to foot about half of the more than $2 billion bill — something Cuyahoga County officials have publicly denounced as "fiscally irresponsible."
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne has previously condemned the move and asked the Browns to reconsider staying Downtown — and he's not buying the study.
"We don’t want to engage in a game of political football, but a biased report attempting to justify an unprecedented sum of taxpayer money for a new stadium does not change our position, and we’re going to have to throw a flag on the play," Cuyahoga County wrote in a statement released Thursday.
The county said owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam had not shared the economic impact study with them and said the study projected "overly optimistic projections that do not reflect the financial realities faced by local governments and taxpayers."
In October, Cleveland's Mayor Justin Bibb announced negotiations with the team's billionaire owners had broken down and the team would decamp to Brook Park.
At the time, Bibb called the relocation "profoundly disheartening" and said it would "undoubtedly damage the city, county and region in a multitude of ways," adding that the Brook Park complex "threatens [the] viability of Downtown sports" that the city and county have already heavily invested public subsidies in.
The city has said the Browns' departure would mean a $30 million annual loss to its economy.
It's unclear where the proposed public money for the stadium would come from. Cuyahoga County has for months been resistant to the idea of investing in a new stadium build in the suburbs. Browns officials have met with state lawmakers about funding, possibly by issuing bonds.
