Since 1999, when the Cleveland Browns returned to the NFL as an expansion team, their presence at the property along Lake Erie has been a major part of the city’s identity and growth. However, it’s not to say that the fans have not been wanting a new stadium in their town for a long time now. So, nine months ago, the Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam came up with an idea. Along with that was a promise of being able to host major events like the Super Bowl and Final Four. As per Haslam Sports Group COO, David Jenkins, “The stadium’s year-round activity would anchor a large-scale lifestyle and entertainment district.” However, there has been a speed bump in the $2.4 billion project.

As per what the Browns owner and HSG has suggested, “The more we have explored the Brook Park option, the more attractive it has become.” But the local government has been more than unwilling to let them leave the lakefront this soon. Their case being how they have invested a huge sum in Huntington Bank Field already. Hence, they proposed a middle ground– Re-development. They even proposed to fund the upgradation project with $461 million, splitting the cost with the franchise. But the Browns see re-modeling as another issue. 

Jenkins stated the current stadium will require “substantial improvements” which might as well need a re-visit in the next 15-20 years, rendering the investment moot. Along with the counter, they have faced parking issues and traffic as other reasons too. And to tackle that, they gave the new location option of Brook Park about 12 miles south of Cleveland, near Cleveland Hopkins Airport. But after months of planning, discussions, debates, and even lawsuits, Cleveland Mayor, Justin Bibb, has again come up with his verdict, asking to put the brakes on those dreams.

In a conversation with FOX 8 I-Team this Tuesday, Bibb said, “There are more important priorities than the Cleveland Browns.” The mayor’s focus right now isn’t the football stadium but improving the city’s airport and working on other downtown projects. But it is so Cleveland is not left empty-handed when the Browns leave their long-time arena.

Since last year, the team has an agreement to buy a 176-acre land near the airport to build a huge domed stadium in Brook Park. So while Bibb is not entirely on board, he is also willing to accept the change if and as it comes. “We gotta move on. If they go to Brook Park, God bless them, good luck. But, by hell or high water, we are going to develop a lakefront our residents can be proud of.

“But, it’s important that the city of Cleveland is not left empty-handed. That we don’t have an abandoned stadium downtown. The business community, the state, and the Browns must do the right thing to transition the city of Cleveland, so we can continue the progress we’ve had on the lakefront.”

And even if the Browns leave, Bibb told FOX 8 that the government has, “A whole lot of plans, a lot of good ideas, more to come.” They plan to send out requests for proposals this summer to get things moving. But at the same time, Bibb mentioned that Cleveland isn’t backing down quietly.

They are still fighting in court to try to block the Browns from moving. A hearing is set for next month. And the mayor says the city isn’t dropping the case, stressing, “The state and the Browns have to make sure that the city of Cleveland is not left empty handed.” And as they plan out a way to fix their differences, there’s another challenge waiting for Cleveland.

Jimmy Haslam faces Cleveland’s tough new stance

While Jimmy Haslam’s $2.4 billion stadium plans face the cold shoulder from Mayor Justin Bibb and his office, things have gotten even more complicated. Cleveland and Cuyahoga County have pulled the plug on their relationship with the Greater Cleveland Partnership. The move came after the group threw its support behind the Browns’ plan for the new domed stadium in Brook Park. That’s a huge deal because the Partnership is the region’s biggest business group. After the Greater Cleveland Partnership threw its weight behind Jimmy Haslam’s Brook Park stadium plan, Mayor Justin Bibb and County Executive Chris Ronayne decided they’d had enough.

They sent a sharply-worded letter, pulling out of all major GCP committees. Bibb and Ronayne think the Partnership isn’t sticking up for downtown business owners who could lose big if the Browns pack up and move. And instead of backing the heart of the city, GCP is siding with a flashy, publicly funded stadium outside Cleveland.

Bibb and Ronayne aren’t mincing words either, they made it clear they don’t see GCP as a true ally anymore. What was once a tight collaboration between city hall and the business world now feels like a full-on breakup. And now, with the Haslam’s pushing a dome dream in outside Cleveland, with $1.2 billion of that coming from taxpayers in form of bonds that they will repay with the profits, things are heating up even more. Mayor Bibb and County Exec Chris Ronayne aren’t buying into the hype, calling it a risky gamble with public money.

So, as the stadium saga heats up, the battle lines in Northeast Ohio are drawn. Jimmy Haslam might be dreaming big with his Brook Park project, but he’s running into a wall of resistance. Bibb and Ronayne are going all in to protect the city’s lakefront and wallet. With lawsuits flying, partnerships breaking, and state lawmakers still debating that massive $1.2 billion price tag, this whole thing has turned into way more than just football. It’s city pride, politics, and public money, all colliding in one messy showdown.