Cuyahoga County Unsupporitive Of Browns Ownership's New Stadium Proposal

The county released a letter expressing desires to renovate Cleveland Browns stadium and keep the team playing downtown

Cleveland Browns Stadium /

The political back-and-forth over the future of Cleveland Browns Stadium continues as Cuyahoga county now issued a response to team ownership Brook Park proposal.

In a letter signed by county executive Chris Ronayne and President of the Cuyahoga county council Pernel Jones Jr. the county's top representatives denounced the multi-billion dollar project that the ownership group rolled out publicly earlier this week. Their intentions, as the letter explained, are to prioritize renovating the existing facility on the lakefront in downtown Cleveland. The county reps cited their fiscal responsibility to tax payers.

"The proposal to build a new stadium in Brook Park does not make fiscal sense for Cuyahoga County residents and tax payers," the letter read. "Moreover, any proposal that would create an unacceptable risk to the county's general fund cannot be considered. We believe it is our responsibility and in the best interests of our community to prioritize reinvestment in existing public assets."

This morning, the Executive and Council President affirmed their commitment to keep the Browns in Downtown Cleveland in a letter to Jimmy and Dee Haslam. pic.twitter.com/xewSDjHEFS

— Cuyahoga County (@CuyahogaCounty) August 11, 2024

The message from the county echoes that of Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb who emphasized the importance of keeping the Browns downtown in his proposal to Jimmy and Dee Haslam that would see the city pay $461 million to help renovate the current facility. That project is estimated to cost around $1.2 billion with the city, county and state contributing about half the funds and the Haslams contributing the other half. The Mayor gave the team owners until Monday Aug. 12 to respond to their offer.

"We acknowledge this transformational investment is about more than dollars and cents," the letter continued. "The stadium is more than just a venue. The team represents the heart and soul of Northeast Ohioand reinforces our community's identity and pride. Browns fans have a deep-rooted emotional connection to the team's rich history in downtown Cleveland."

Earlier in the Week, the Haslams' officially unveiled a proposal of their own for a more than $3 billion domed stadium and accompanying mixed-use development in Brook Park, including renderings of the state-of-the-art venue. In a "letter to fans" Haslams Sports Group's chief operating officer David Jenkins explained the motivations behind the potential move and made it clear that a final decision hasn't yet been made on where the Browns will play their future home games.

Clearly the release suggests the Browns are leaning towards a move to Brook Park, something that is being met with plenty of push-back from city and county officials.