Ronayne still opposes Brook Park stadium after Browns meeting
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Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne speaks on the Mall. File photo: Sam Allard/Axios
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne met with the Browns' senior management Monday as the team continues to seek public resources for a proposed $2.4 billion roofed stadium and ancillary development in Brook Park.
Why it matters: Ronayne has been adamantly opposed to devoting county dollars to a Brook Park stadium due to the risky financing calculus and what he sees as the negative effects on the downtown core.
The latest: That position is unchanged after Monday's "cordial" meeting, Ronayne told Axios in an interview.
- Browns owner Jimmy Haslam and team executive vice president JW Johnson were in attendance, along with Haslam Sports Group executives Dave Jenkins and Ted Tywang.
What they're saying: "The most cost-conscious course of action would be to renovate the current facility, which still has tread on the tire," Ronayne said.
- "We've worked with the Bibb administration to get significant new federal monies for the lakefront. We've finally got momentum. Why not be part of the transformation?"
Between the lines: The Browns' Brook Park plan includes hundreds of thousands of square feet of office and commercial retail space.
- Ronayne said that would come at the expense of thriving commercial districts downtown and across the county.
- "In a flat-growth economy, it's just rearranging the deck chairs," he said.
The other side: Jimmy and Dee Haslam say the public should be responsible for half ($1.2 billion) of the total project cost.
- "This dog doesn't hunt," Ronayne memorably said in August.
- Browns spokesperson Peter John-Baptiste confirmed the meeting took place Monday downtown.
Zoom in: "We explained why we concluded that building a new Huntington Bank Field enclosed stadium with an adjacent mixed-used development in Brook Park would be the best long-term stadium solution for our fans and the region," John-Baptiste told Axios in an emailed statement.
- "The county executive expressed his preference for us to remain downtown and asked us to commit to more dialogue and discussion on remaining downtown, while also finding win-win solutions for all stakeholders in a move to Brook Park."
The bottom line: Ronayne credited the Browns for listening to his arguments and said he's happy to continue talks.
- "My goal continues to be to keep the door open to the lakefront, and I think I made progress on that."