This rendering of a $1.2 billion renovation of the existing Huntington Bank Field on Downtown Cleveland’s lakefront was anonymously released to and published by Scene Magazine today. NEOtrans has verified that the rendering is legitimate (HSG). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
First image of renovated lakefront stadium released
ARTICLE UPDATED MAY 7, 2025
After the first image of a renovated Huntington Bank Field on Downtown Cleveland’s lakefront was publicly released today by Scene Magazine, local officials are asking why it and other images weren’t released sooner by the owners of the Cleveland Browns so that the public could have a more informed opinion on which stadium plan to support.
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne, who has been leading the charge for renovating the lakefront stadium for $1.2 billion, said he did not release the rendering. He has opposed the plans by the Browns owners, the Haslam Sports Group’s (HSG), to build a new stadium and supportive development for $3.6 billion in suburban Brook Park, which is also in Cuyahoga County.
“They should show their plans,” Ronayne told NEOtrans in a phone interview. “It’s only fair that you (HSG) should show your plans so the people can make a decision.”
A week ago, Ronayne sent a letter to state lawmakers asking them to provide $350 million for a renovation of Huntington Bank Field. He noted that it was the same amount that Hamilton County leaders and the Brown family, owners of the Cincinnati Bengals, were asking for from the state to renovate the 2000-built Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati.
Turns out that this rendering commissioned by the city of the lakefront redevelopment provided an accurate massing of what a renovated Huntington Bank Field could look like. The exception is that the enclosures around the sides of the stadium weren’t solid but transparent yet intended to protect the stadium and its patrons from getting blasted by Lake Erie’s weather (FO).
HSG sources confirmed to NEOtrans on the image that was published today was legitimate but said it was “almost three years old.” The Browns 30-year lease at the city-owned lakefront stadium expires after the 2028 football season.
“As we have consistently communicated, we methodically explored the lakefront renovation for several years, and it became abundantly clear that putting any money into renovating the current open-air stadium is a short-sighted, short-term fix that will only create the same issues down the road and also will impede the City of Cleveland’s opportunity to finally re-imagine the lakefront,” said HSG Chief Operating Officer Dave Jenkins in a statement emailed to NEOtrans.
“We haven’t had substantive renovation discussions in months and have never been presented with a viable funding plan for a renovation from Cuyahoga County or the City of Cleveland to pair with our private investment,” Jenkins added.
Like Ronayne, Cleveland City Council President Blaine Griffin said he also wants the lakefront stadium renovated, for the betterment of the city and the Greater Cleveland region.
This reverse view looking southward shows how a renovated stadium and Downtown Cleveland could link up via a proposed land bridge over the railroad tracks and a Shoreway-turned-boulevard. These were ideas jointly pursued by the city and the Haslam Sports Group (FO).
“I’m glad that it (the rendering) is out there,” Griffin said, adding he didn’t release it. “People can actually see that it complements the existing lakefront and actually has more usage and connections to the existing lakefront than the Brook Park plan does to its surroundings. Ergonomically, this design is less affected by the elements than the current stadium.”
He said more time, money and effort should be spent on developing existing clusters of activity like Downtown Cleveland to keep the central business district strong rather than furthering urban and suburban sprawl.
HSG has said its lakefront stadium renovation plans, which it paid for, were proprietary works. So that’s why it hasn’t released them, even though the stadium is owned by the city.
Ronayne said that numerous public officials have been shown this and other renderings of the proposed renovation of the existing Huntington Bank Field but were asked by HSG to not share them.
The Haslam Sports Group is advancing its financing plans for its Brook Park stadium and supportive development which is contingent on getting $600 million in state-backed bonds approved by the end of next month (HKS). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
In fact, NEOtrans has learned that in some meetings, especially with state officials who are being asked to approve $600 million in taxpayer-supported bonds for the Brook Park stadium, extra efforts were undertaken to ensure confidentiality.
Two state lawmakers told NEOtrans off the record that, prior to a meeting in April 2024, HSG representatives and their lobbyists asked them to leave their phones outside the meeting room so that no pictures could be taken of the plans they were being shown and shared with the public.
Despite two reports deriding the bond funding, lawmakers are on track to include the bond funding in a state budget bill by July 1, the start of the next state fiscal year. Gov. Mike DeWine said he opposes the stadium funding proposal but hasn’t said whether he would line-item veto it from the state budget.
NEOtrans was the first to publish a rendering of the Brook Park stadium plan a year ago and was first to report in February 2024 that the 176-acre Brook Park site was being acquired by HSG for a new stadium whose price tag is estimated at $2.4 billion. That does not include construction of new or expanded ramps and lanes on highways and roads near the Brook Park stadium.
The Haslam Sports Group has said the existing, 26-year-old Huntington Bank Field on Downtown Cleveland’s lakefront is decaying rapidly and doesn’t justify renovation. But city and county officials said the Haslams abandoned the renovation in search of bigger profits with a new, enclosed stadium in Brook Park where they could control the parking (HSG).
Taxpayers were asked to fund half of the cost of either stadium — new enclosed stadium in Brook Park or renovated open-air stadium renovation downtown — but without being shown the physical and financial attributes of the lakefront option.
When asked if the city should have considered issuing a request for proposals to get the best stadium renovation deal in a more transparent way, Griffin said it might have been a good way to do it. But that possibility is in the past.
“We went into negotiations with the Haslams with the understanding that we were going into a lakefront plan together,” Griffin explained. “Somewhere the conversations broke down and the debate went into the public space. Had I been in the negotiations, I would have pushed to get it done sooner. I still think we can negotiate a better deal for our lakefront.”
City Hall spokesperson Marie Zickefoose was asked for comment from Mayor Justin Bibb but didn’t respond prior to publication of this article. This article will be updated if a response is provided. Bibb is running for re-election this November with Griffin considered as a potential challenger.
A new, enclosed Huntington Bank Field in suburban Brook Park could attract more events likes concerts, shows and other sporting events than the existing field downtown. But skeptics said it could compete with existing downtown venues as well as planned and existing domed stadiums in the Midwest and East Coast (HKS).
Ronayne said city, county and HSG officials were having a productive conversation about renovating the existing, 1999-built stadium until suddenly HSG representatives broke off the negotiations. Jenkins saw it differently.
“It has become increasingly disheartening to see local politicians lobbying against an unprecedented $3+ billion economic development project with substantial State investment in Northeast Ohio that would generate hundreds of millions of dollars for public stakeholders, especially at a time when these very same politicians are speaking of economic hardships and development challenges in this region,” Jenkins said.
HSG officials have said talks ended because the stadium is decaying rapidly while Ronayne countered it was because HSG would have a bigger profit margin with an enclosed stadium and parking they could control in Brook Park.
END
