DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Pure Football Forum Haslems Buy 176 Acre Property In Brookpark

What if Haslam just got sick of waiting? He does seem rather impatient.


Looking at Cleveland's 17th plan to develop the lakefront

From some of the stuff I've been reading and listening to, this is essentially one of the big reasons. Allegedly Mayor Bibb/City has been dragging their feet and Haslems might have just said.....screw it, we're out. Location makes sense for several reasons but City of Cleveland won't fully benefit. People will still use hotels and restaurants since it is less than 10 miles away but might no longer be part of the fabric of downtown life.

If this happens, it might be a blow to Bibb politically who is up for re-election in 2025.

He could just be forcing the city’s hand. Lloyd said this morning that the city has not made a new stadium a priority.

How is moving right next to a major airport improving the fan experience?

Well, the lease runs out in 2028.

In April, Bibb declined to use city funds for stadium renovations...

“I’m no longer going to risk general new fund dollars for maintenance of a privately owned football franchise,” Cleveland mayor Justin Bibb said Wednesday in his State of the City address. “So we’ve got to be creative.”


Things got shady in July and Haslam said this:

“The only thing Dee and I would say for sure is we’re not leaving Northeast Ohio, that’s for sure,” Jimmy Haslam said in July 2023. “Our preference is for us to be on the lakefront. But we’ve got to see how things play out. It will be fluid. There will be bumps in the road and it may be different in three months than it is now.”

It's a bold move by Haslam. Either a very expensive wake-up call or a sign of the future and an owner fed up with Cleveland's slow-motion bureaucracy.

Even this 'new' renovation cycle has changed directions 38 times. In November they said the new plans were "60% done".

It's not, really. But honestly, the 'lakefront plan' has changed many times and the latest iteration has almost all tailgate space and 'fan experience' type stuff eliminated anyway. It's really turned into a nightmare of a scenario that will take decades and billions to complete... to the point where it's drawing ire from many residents that point to "much better things" to do with the money.


Planners acknowledged that altering the Shoreway and longstanding Browns tailgating traditions could raise eyebrows, but they said the new ideas are needed to create a better lakefront.
https://www.cleveland.com/news/2023...eventual-move-for-browns-tailgaters.html

I have a great idea for the Destination Cleveland regional per Bowl Ad all of sudden!

I hope the stadium stays downtown. It's really convenient to walk there straight from the hotel.

That doesn't seem to represent a dome stadium.

Here's my own quick rendering of what the current stadium would look like on that kind of footprint.

Bingo.

If Haslam could not/can not get the money from Cleveland to fund a chunk of the stadium, he certainly will not find the money in Brook Park.

Also, if he decides to just pay for it all himself, he'd just keep it in downtown and develop the waterfront. Much more money to be made developing on Lake Erie.

Building in Brook Park is the equivalent of the Cavs building the Coliseum in Richfield.

Flex move by Haslam, though. Downtown businesses will put the pressure on Bibb.

Stadium news will be interesting to follow as things progress.

News from the other day allocates money for the long-awaited pedestrian foot bridge. This would an important piece in keeping the stadium downtown.

Talking with Browns fans at work today about this.

I said I like the Stadium where it is, I enjoy it being by the lake and downtown.

Someone said "if they build a dome, you won't see the lake anyways"

I said, it's about walking by the water, the Rock & Roll HOF, the William G Mather ,the science center, people out on the lake on those boards dressed as Santa and the city.

There are cool places around 9th street to hang out at

What's there to do around that area except for hearing planes go by and not being able to hear the replay

Don't make a mistake, keep it by the lake !

If this would ever come to fruition, I don't see this as the same thing. Going to Richfield, among many things I'm sure, was really an attempt to connect the Cavs to Akron and taking advantage of the the assumed growth of urban sprawl in the region. It never really worked. Going down 71 South less than ten miles in an already developed area (seemingly very commercial) doesn't feel that way to me.

I do agree with Lloyd and do believe this is a leverage play to the city. The Haslem group could certainly repurpose the land for something else if it came to it. I just don't see it as Richfield-esque, essentially by distance but also by motive.

With doing zero research, so my take is full of malarkey.

Maybe they are using it as leverage, with the possibility of moving their headquarters from Berea to Brook Park in the future?

Either way, I hope the plan is to build a Jimmy World. Basically, the updated equivalent of Jerry World.

Maybe they are going to build a soccer complex

#MoveTheCrewToCleveland

#ClevelandCrew

The last time politicians in Cleveland tried to play hardball with a browns owner, we lost the team. Not saying that's what they would do, but who knows?

Eh, I look it as no man's land. I would not consider the area developed. It's . It's 15 miles from the airport to the current Browns stadium, but that's nitpicking.

I would imagine the Haslams want to develop something similar to The Battery in ATL. New stadiums are being constructed with mixed-use development in mind, i.e., retail, restaurants, office space etc... I cannot see that happening in Brook Park. Just seems like it would be destined to fail in that area. We'll see what happens.

that's all we need is an Airbus taking off while we are on a crucial play, and the center can't hear the QB with all the noise to hike the ball. I dunno, just doesn't seem like a great area to support the stadium

We'll have the huge jets take off while the opposition is on offense!

I think the browns are primarily using this as leverage... but frankly, being in brook park wouldn't be the worst... easier access to get in and out.... closer to their head quarters... either way, they need to build a complex similar to LA/Vegas with a dome... I understand the purists.... but it makes zero sense to have an open stadium that will sit vacant for half the year... put a dome on it and you can use it year round for concerts, events, etc.... if you want to be able to have the weather when you want, then put a retractable roof on it....

I loved going downtown for games.... but being in brook park wouldn't have changed my experience by much...

Is Cowher building a house near there?

I don't think it is being sick of waiting. The lease is up in 4 years. Projects such as this don't go up overnight. Four years out is the time some plans need to be set and things need to start moving. If the Browns are going to continue to play in the stadium through any construction, that means you can't work on things year round, which will add to the timeline. Haslam and the NFL also have some history on the last time the city and team were discussing a new stadium project. Regardless of who you want to blame, things were fumbled away.

The NFL want domes, that is pretty clear. The city needs to build a dome for year round use. The ROI will be seen much sooner. Those acres in Brook Park are a good buy for the Haslams no matter if it is used for a stadium or something else. My thought on something else would be to move the Casino out of downtown and stick it out in Brookpark on the Haslam property. A connector to the airport via underground tram would be easy enough. Make Cleveland a weekend gambling destination. Walk to the terminal from you airplane, get on the tram and you 're in the casino/hotel area. Have a theater where you could book name act entertainers. The possibilities are numerous. Including a stadium if the city keeps dorking around. Unlike Model, Haslam has the money to do anything he wants. He is a man of action. He isn't going to sit there doing nothing while others hem and haw over things.

I think we're pretty much on the same page here.

Every smart businessman has a solid contingency plan. The city seems to be dragging its heels as they did before Modell left. If Haslam didn't have a contingency plan in place in the event a new stadium deal wasn't in place in time for him to build one elsewhere before the lease expires he wouldn't be doing his job.

It seems to me that fans should be thankful that everything indicates that if he can't reach a deal with the city in time for a new stadium to be built before the lease expires he still plans to keep the team in the area and not use another city for a new stadium and move the team. Many of us have vivid memories on how that all played out.

The current stadium lease runs out in four years. To have a new stadium in place before that lease runs out Haslam will have to have an answer from the city of Cleveland in two years. He's simply hedging his bet as any smart person would do if they had that option.

100% agree!

We agree. I might not agree on needing an answer in two years. Yes, a stadium could be built in that time, but not the kind of stadium the NFL and Haslam wants.

The plans I see are more complex than simply building another "generic" stadium. If they stay downtown in an open air facility you are talking land bridges over major roads, parks, hotels being constructed. If it moves out of downtown, you are talking a domed stadium which takes longer to build.

I think the sheet or get off the pot moment is way sooner than 2 years. Maybe 6 months. It appears that Haslam Sports Group feels that way with this recent land acquisition.

Jimmy is a mover and shaker. He moves the needle, and this land purchase is the shaking.

After taking a closer look at it I think you're right. The new stadium they're getting ready to build in Nashville will be a translucent dome stadium and the building process is a three year timeline. They've moved pretty quickly on the plans, approval and moving forward with a new stadium here.

Translucent is a great idea 👍

Building a stadium next to a major airport doesn't seem like a good idea to me. Keep it downtown!

The downtown stadium is on top of an airport. Allegiant stadium in Las Vegas is next to an airport. Raymond James in Tampa is next to an airport. Thosse are the ones that come to mind.

Sofi stadium is next to an airport.

it's not a good idea for Cleveland. Keep it downtown.

I prefer the stadium downtown. Last time I was there my hotel room had a view overlooking the stadium and the lake. It was badass.