Could the Browns join the list of teams that have moved their stadium from downtown to the suburbs?
According to a Thursday report, it’s possible.
Ken Prendergast of the Ohio-based site neo-trans.blog reports the Haslam Sports Group, which owns the Browns, has a contract to buy a 176-acre parcel in Brook Park, Ohio. It’s located about nine miles southwest of downtown Cleveland and is close to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
The report does not state that the land is earmarked for a stadium. But the size of the land would easily be able to handle that kind of development.
The Browns released a statement after the report was released on Thursday.
“We’ve been clear on how complex future stadium planning can be,” the statement reads. ”One certainty is our commitment to greatly improving our fan experience while also creating a transformative and lasting impact to benefit all of Northeast Ohio. We understand the magnitude of opportunity with a stadium project intent on driving more large-scale events to our region and are methodically looking at every possibility. We appreciate the collaborative process with the City of Cleveland and the leadership of Mayor Bibb in analyzing the landbridge and renovating the current stadium. At the same time, as part of our comprehensive planning efforts, we are also studying other potential stadium options in Northeast Ohio at various additional sites.
“There is still plenty of work to do and diligence to process before a long-term stadium solution is determined and will share further updates at the appropriate time.”
The land in Brook Park is also close to the team’s facility in Berea, Ohio. It was formerly two Ford plants and is next to a third Ford plant that’s still in use.
