Controversial $2.6bn NFL stadium project still faces major hurdle despite setting defiant ‘moving dirt’ date weeks away

The Cleveland Browns’ plans to move to Brook Park remain on track, but there is likely to be more drama despite the latest moves forward.

Plans to move the NFL franchise away from Huntington Bank Field in favor of a new $2.4 billion domed stadium in a more suburban area of Cleveland are being pursued.

However issues with the height of the buildings threatened pushback on the plans, but the Browns are determined and received another minor victory, just days after the initial setback

On Thursday, Brook Park City Council voted to rezone the proposed 176-acre site for the Browns’ new stadium, months after the Haslam Sports Group purchased the Brook Park land for $76 million.

That vote was important, as it means the Browns can continue to move on, despite faces challenges on several front

What are the Cleveland Browns’ stadium plans?

Previously, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) rejected the Browns’ proposed building permit, after the stadium structure plans were deemed to be too tall.

Exceeding the maximum height for the location by almost 60 feet, there were concerns by ODOT’s aviation office that this would be a huge hazard to air traffic and passing planes in the area from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.

Should they not be able to shave off the additional 58 feet required in height, then ODOT said the Browns would be forced into shifting the stadium to another location.

Nonetheless, council members have since voted to approve the land-use change with a final vote of 6-to-1.

“Every day, there’s more work to be done. We have a lot of work to do tomorrow, so we’re going to continue to keep working hard,” Mayor Edward Orcutt said after the council vote, via News 5 Cleveland.

“But tonight is a great, monumental, historical day for the city of Brook Park.”

When asked about the ongoing dispute between the federal and state aviation officials and the Haslam Sports Group, Orcutt was in the view that the two parties would come to a resolution that would favor each of them.

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HKS

“More due diligence is happening, obviously, to rectify that,” he said. “And I have 1000% confidence that this project will be a go here in the city of Brook Park.”

Despite the hurdles still to be overcome, the Browns remain defiant.

They envision themselves moving dirt before the end of 2025, with a goal of opening the domed stadium – fit to host a Super Bowl – in 2029.

Their current lease at Huntington Bank Field is due to expire at the end of the 2028 season.

“The plan is to start moving dirt this fall, with more of a ceremonial groundbreaking this spring,” Haslam Sports Group President Dave Jenkins told the audience on Thursday.

Amid the dispute over their plans limiting airspace, though, it remains to be seen whether this will cause a delay to their proposed timeline of getting the construction process underway.

HKS

Can the Browns solve their new stadium problem?

According to Jason Lorenzon, an aviation lawyer at Gertsburg Licata in Independence and a trained pilot, disagreements between federal and state aviation officials is a common occurrence.

“This happens across the country,” said Lorenzon. “And here, I really think all parties are doing the right thing. They’re trying to figure this out.”

“Looking at the different maps … the east-west runway, yeah, it’s pretty close to the stadium,” Lorenzon said of the layout at Hopkins.

“And a lot of times, a plane’s coming in, if the day’s cloudy and it’s rainy, they don’t have the ability to actually look out the window, they’re 200 feet above the ground. And the last thing they want to see is the stadium and not the runway.

Cleveland Browns

Those are possibilities that could happen and you don’t want to have that. You don’t want to have an accident with something that’s very close to the runway.”

The multi-billion dollar stadium is estimated to seat 68,000 fans – virtually the same capacity that Huntington Bank Field houses, with that figure increasing to 75,000 for concerts and other events.

But Brook Park won’t be home to just a stadium. Instead, it will be a complete redevelopment of the area, including housing, hotels, retail and office spaces. In turn, this will create a plethora of jobs for people in and around the community.

“I’ve seen that situation happen, where the applicants are going to say, ‘Hey, can we do it this way? Will this work?’” Lorenzon said. “And usually, that’s how these things resolve.

“The end result here should be a beautiful stadium that everybody can be proud of, the Browns can be proud of, our community can be proud of.”

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