Bibb says $100M Browns stadium deal is best city could get
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The proposed covered Browns stadium in Brook Park. Rendering: HKS Architects/Cleveland Browns
Mayor Justin Bibb is giving Cleveland City Council members a Nov. 24 deadline to approve the proposed $100 million settlement with Haslam Sports Group that would clear the way for the Browns' move to Brook Park.
Why it matters: That would allow HSG to deliver an up-front payment of $25 million to the city by Dec. 1, part of a deal that Bibb says will "supercharge" lakefront development and fund the current stadium's demolition and community projects in the coming years.
Driving the news: Bibb and members of his leadership team defended the plan Monday to council members.
- Bibb said his administration and attorneys from Jones-Day "fought like hell" to secure the deal over months of negotiations.
State of play: Council President Blaine Griffin framed the hearing — the first of several — as the public's opportunity to understand the deal's contours and time frame.
- Members wanted an accounting of the city's total expenditures on the Browns stadium to date to determine if the public is getting a good deal.
Yes, but: Law director Mark Griffin said the baseline for the city's negotiations was getting zero from the Haslams.
- Under the best-case legal scenario without such an agreement, he said, all the city could hope for is to delay the Browns' relocation to Brook Park until the current lease expires in 2029.
What they're saying: "We knew we couldn't keep the Browns forever," he said. "There's no Buzz Lightyear where they'd have to stay for 'infinity and beyond.'"
The other side: Councilman Brian Kazy, who initially led the charge for invoking the state's "Modell law," likened the situation to "dating a girl that doesn't want to be with you anymore."
- And Councilwoman Rebecca Maurer voiced concerns that if the state's $600 million contribution to the Haslams is jeopardized by a class-action lawsuit, the city's pending agreement might inadvertently facilitate the Browns' exit from the region, not just the city proper.
Friction point: City Council elections are in two weeks and the Nov. 24 deadline now looms.
- Griffin, the council president, warned that multiple council members are in competitive elections, and that vetting the agreement thoroughly will take time.