One month after hinting that they wanted either $500 million in public money for a $1 billion stadium renovation or $1 billion in public money for a $2 billion new domed stadium, Cleveland Browns execs have revealed that actually the taxpayer cost could be as high as $1.25 billion — plus more for infrastructure:
When Cleveland Browns representatives last week showed state lawmakers designs for optional stadiums in Downtown Cleveland or in suburban Brook Park, they also shared something else — a proposed public-private cost sharing arrangement.
According to persons attending and familiar with the Browns-lawmakers meeting, they said the Browns estimated the new domed stadium in Brook Park might cost $2.5 billion while the renovated stadium downtown could cost half as much, or $1.2 billion. The football team is asking for public funding to pay half no matter where the stadium investment is made, the sources said…
The sources said the cost estimates also didn’t include changes to public infrastructure in and near either stadium option. Those would be almost entirely publicly funded.
Yep, it’s those old unnamed sources, which the NEOtrans blog loves to rely on. (They’ve been mostly right so far, though.) It’s unclear whether it’s the team side or the legislative side leaking these cost numbers, or how realistic they are, but either way it’s by far the largest subsidy figures that have been floated thus far in the Browns stadium talks.
NEOtrans reports that state legislators “had lots of questions including if the benefit to the public would be greater than the cost to the public,” though one of the only two lawmakers quoted by name, state Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney, left the meeting early and just said “nothing is finalized” and she had “confidence that both options are being thoroughly considered.” The other, state Rep. Mike Skindell, said of the proposed Brook Park dome plan: “It’s a lot of money. It’s not just the stadium funding. You’re also talking about potential additional interchange roadways, parking and sewers.”
Signal Cleveland also reported on last Wednesday’s team meeting with state legislators, noting that Sweeney said it was “clear Brook Park would be substantial” in terms of cost. Neither outlet reported on where the money would come from, though NEOtrans floated “income taxes, property taxes, admissions taxes, bed taxes and the like” from the stadium district as an option; a Browns spokesperson said renderings of both plans that were shown to legislators would be made public “soon.”
As we’ve seen in the case of the Chicago Bears stadium plan, infrastructure costs can be massive, as much as half the cost of the stadium itself there. If that were the case with a Browns stadium, state and local taxpayers could end up on the hook for as much as $1.875 billion — which would easily be a record public cost for a stadium, if the Bears don’t set a new record first. Voters may have scored some high-profile defeats of public stadium funding demands of late, but it sure hasn’t stopped team owners from asking for more and more.
Bride Rose Sweeney is the daughter of former Cleveland City President Marty Sweeney. Back in 2010-2012 there was a big corruption scandal and at one point there was a tape of phone call released between Sweeney and the County Commissioner (who later was sentenced to 28 years in Federal Prison) in which he complained his bribe money wasn’t a lot
Do with that whatever you will
Was it the recipient or the payer of the bribe who went to jail? Generally, for reasons I’ve never understood, the receiver tends to get off lightly while the payer is jailed for as long as legally possible. (I assume it’s some version of “hey, if people love me and just wanna give me money for no reason, what? I’m supposed to refuse?”)
Either way, I learned that Cleveland has (had?) a city president. Wow.
“Nothing happens unless first a dream”, I guess?
Jimmy Dimora (the commissioner who received the bribes) got 28 years. The construction dude who paid the bribe got 2-3 years. Dimora was on a trip to Vegas with the contractor who paid for the trip and Dimora called Sweeney and put the contractor on the phone who was upset that his bid for the runway at the airport was taking a long time. Dimora got back on the phone with Sweeney and asked (this is still stuck in my head):
“Has he been sending you money” and Sweeney said “minimal”
I typed the first post too fast. I meant to call Sweeney “City Council President.” Now I don’t know why Sweeney never got charged. In Dimora’s trial the prosecutors said he had an “A Team” of co-conspirators (all of whom wound up being charged) and a “B Team” of which Sweeney was one. Now I am not saying that his daughter is corrupt but I am just suspicious
Wasn’t there a guy who stopped the City from selling Clevelands power company years ago which would have been a big mistake and was there corruption in that?
That was Dennis Kucinich who was mayor at the time. He was chastised for that decision but was vindicated years later and was eventually elected to Congress
Thanks aqib!
Brook Park sounds better than airport industrial area and rail yards. That’s the best part of this idea. 20 years, 2000 years, same difference. Browns stadium looks just like those Roman excavations in Tossa de Mar….if you’re a billionair who can’t see beyond your wallet.
Brook Park is a separate city. Cuyahoga County has 54-ish municipalities for 1.2 million people (its stupid I know). For the City of Cleveland this really is the best of both worlds, because the team will literally be like 30 feet over the city line. So the city gets a lot of the benefits of having an NFL team: the attention/status of being a 3 sport city, the tourists, the amenity (people like having an NFL team in town), etc. Without having to carry the associated debt, stadium maintenance, the game day expenses (police, trash cleanup).
If the state gives them money, it will come out of Cleveland taxpayer pockets.
Yes, that is why I do not understand why people in Cleveland, the Mayor, and City Council seem so upset about the possibility of the Browns going to Brook Park. Plus the city would get the lakefront land back that the current stadium sits on. (Yes, I know they already own the land, but cannot really do anything with it as long as the stadium is there.)
These owners need to being paying for at least 75% of the stadium costs.
Climate Pledge Arena: Seattle Kraken owners built a new arena for 1.3 Billion dollars. The city of Seattle commitment $0, except for minor infrastructure costs.
The existing stadium is perfectly suitable for its purpose (as evidenced by sold out season tix and an 8,000 person season tix waiting list). The stadium doesn’t need a $1 billion rebuild. If the owners desire that rebuild— or a $2 billion dome Brook Park dome—they should pay the full costs of same. Unlike 1995, there’s no competing city for owner leverage.
“Need” doesn’t enter into it, though. It’s the appearance of need, which is actually just seeing what others are getting and wanting that.
It rhymes with need.
Agreed.
That’s not the word Neil was hinting at…..
One letter off!
It’s quite a coincidence that all those 20 year old stadiums from Phoenix to Cleveland and Denver etc. we’re so poorly built that they “need” billion dollar “rrnovations” while nearly 100 year old college stadiums continue to be used.
Come on Ken, the stadium is trash and is a monument to everything wrong with Cleveland’s leadership. It was poorly designed in a rush, wastes what should be prime real estate, and being open air is unusable for anything other than the games.
Also, why in 12 years in office did your idiot boss not do a damn thing about the Lakefront and leave that stupid airport that no one uses in tact wasting over 400 acres of Lakefront land.
Hi Ken.
I noticed your name here. Just wanted to say I got the Columbus library to purchase your book. I enjoyed reading it.
Much appreciated, Nathan!
Jee Weez Browns got all money in the world These are some arrogant People Sad
Between Cincinnati and Cleveland’s NFL & MLB teams, Ohio is really a stadium boondoggler’s paradise.
And the Browns’ stadium once bore the name of Ohio’s largest utility operator … until said company got enmeshed in a major scandal. Do a web search for First Energy bribery scandal.
I don’t live in the Cleveland area any longer, so I won’t be paying for this mess. But for the life of me I cannot understand why the public or politicians cannot bring themselves to say “you want it, you build it” to Dee and Jimmy. Since buying the Browns, they’ve bought the Columbus Crew and dropped $800 million on a minority share of the Milwaukee Bucks (which you know comes with an option to buy the remainder). Sports teams do nothing but go up in value. The Browns alone are worth a multiple of what they paid. The Haslams should be treated no differently than any other business owner. Infrastructure in terms of roads is one thing, but invest your own darn money in your facility. Even Stan Kroneke was able to do it. Banks would line up to write the bonds for this thing, because the increase in value of the Browns alone over the next 5 years would pay for a stadium.
If anyone thinks a sports team brings $$$ to anyone other than the team owners, take a closer look at Cleveland. One of the highest poverty rates in the country, and rapidly losing population. Drive down E 55 or E 79 street if you think a sports team generates any sort of economic prosperity.