As the City of Cleveland and the Browns prep for a legal battle over the team's proposed move out of Downtown to the nearby suburb of Brook Park, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne said he believes there is a chance the team may not leave after all.
"We think that there has been a crack in the window opening with the Browns kind of looking back at Downtown," Ronayne said on a Thursday appearance on Ideastream Public Media's Sound of Ideas program. "I felt a window of opportunity that Mr. Haslam himself, I think, was looking at."
Ronayne, who has consistently supported the city's position to keep the team in Downtown Cleveland, said he met with the Haslam Sports Group last Monday. He said they discussed renovation plans of the existing city-owned stadium, which includes a revamped Lake Erie shoreline and economic development opportunities.
"I can't speak for [Jimmy Haslam], but they do have a handsome renovation plan that's not just renovation," Ronayne said. "It's a real transformation that synchronizes with Mayor [Justin] Bibb's and our work on the waterfront."
Expected renovations on the existing stadium mount $1 billion. The Browns' domed stadium plan in Brook Park is expected to cost about $2.4 billion, in addition to a multi-use entertainment complex the team said will unlock more than $1 billion annually in economic impact for Northeast Ohio. The county and city pushed back on those numbers.
"There's 20 acres north of the Browns Stadium that the Browns know could be a vibrant mixed use development with a public edge to it that could be anchored by a stadium that they have a plan they haven't shown, the public they've shown me," Ronayne said. "But they need to show you."
The Haslams have indicated they expect the public to pick up roughly half of construction costs. Ronayne has said the Brook Park project, which is estimated to cost more than twice the cost of renovating the existing stadium, does not make "fiscal sense."
When asked on Thursday, Ronayne said he expects the county will likely financially back the Browns, but did not give specifics.
"My sense is we will participate somewhere, as we have with the Cavs and the Guards," he said.
In previous interviews with Ideastream, Ronayne said he's concerned about security and traffic flow in Brook Park, especially with the proposed stadium's proximity to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
Earlier this week, Cleveland sued the Browns over the proposed move, citing a state law that requires the team to seek bids from the city or an investor in the area to purchase the team if leaving a taxpayer-funded facility.
The Browns' lease with the city ends in 2028. The Brook Park build is expected to be complete by 2029.
