The business may want a present stadium renovation.
Cleveland Browns ownership has set the record straight, for now. The Haslam family is not looking to build a new stadium somewhere in the city and is doing a feasibility study to see what work needs to be done to get the present stadium, which opened 23 years ago, up to a modern, National Football League state-of-the-art facility. The Browns ownership will have things figured out sometime in 2023 and proceed from there. Time is of the essence though. The Browns business’s lease with Cleveland ends in 2028. It is like déjà vu all over again. The Browns business is behind the Cleveland Guardians and Cleveland Cavaliers in getting a facility update. There will be renovations at the Major League Baseball Guardians’ ballpark and there was a renovation of the National Basketball Association’s Cleveland Cavaliers building.
In the 1990s, the then Cleveland Indians and the Cleveland Cavaliers opened new venues but Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell never did get a new stadium and moved his Browns to Baltimore for the 1996 season. Cleveland sued the NFL and was able to get an expansion franchise in 1999 after promising to build a new football stadium. The present Browns franchise opened up the new football stadium in 1999. The Browns business put out a statement about the stadium situation. “Contrary to recent speculation, a recent feasibility study we launched does not contemplate a new stadium or showcase new stadium sites. A significant stadium renovation at our current site is the premise of the study as well as a focus on how to provide accessibility to the lakefront, drive density and create 365-destination major development opportunities that would include new public parks, retail, office, experiential and residential spaces.” The NFL seems to be entering a new stadium game period. A good many stadiums are more than 20-years old and NFL owners want upgrades.
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Evan can be reached at evan_weiner@hotmail.com
