Browns new domed stadium is 600 million times closer to reality

The Browns got some good news regarding their new stadium proposal 

The Cleveland Browns’ ownership wants the newest NFL trend: a shiny new stadium. With a top on it. On their own property. Right off the interstate.

Have you been to Las Vegas and watched a game inside Allegiant Stadium, located in nearby Paradise, Nevada? It is a spectacle that must be seen. SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, home of the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers, is incredible.

An exceptional experience can be had at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, home of the Minnesota Vikings. Absolutely spectacular.

RELATED: BROWNS NEW STADIUM UPDATE

New stadiums in the last 10 years have also been built in Atlanta, Miami, and San Francisco. And the theme with each is being a spectacle.

The Browns appear to be next on the agenda of fancy digs. The ownership group has committed funds to building a sports complex in nearby Brook Park, and like every other franchise owner, they want some local help with the funding.

Last week, they got it. The Ohio House passed its budget bill, including $600 million in bonds to help the Browns build their forever home.

What usually occurs with these NFL clubs is that they buy up a large parcel of land right off the interstate, then build a domed stadium along with hotels, shops, restaurants, nightclubs, souvenir shops, indoor and outdoor concert venues, driving ranges, gas and electric fueling stations, and in some cases their own golf course.

Brook Park is located 20 minutes Southwest of Cleveland and 15 minutes to Berea, where the Browns practice facility is located. Back in the 1970s, then-Browns owner Art Modell bought acreage in Strongsville for the sole purpose of building a stadium.

Numerous NFL stadiums are built in cities other than their designated home city. The Dallas Cowboys play in Arlington, Texas. Orchard Park, New York, is the home of the Buffalo Bills. The Washington Commanders play home games in Landover, Maryland. In all, 12 NFL clubs have their stadium in a city that is not their namesake. Neither the New York Football Giants nor the New York Jets even play in New York State.

The plan is for the Browns to reimburse the payment of the bonds from profits associated with the complex. It will cost the State of Ohio more than $1 billion over a span of 30 years.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine still has to review the budget bill after it heads to the Senate for their input before reconciliation between the two chambers. Lawmakers can overturn a governor’s veto, but they need 60 votes in the House and 20 votes in the Senate to do so.

What their own complex will mean for the Browns is that parking will never be an issue and plentiful, especially for tour buses. Every building involved in the complex will become a chosen set piece and be overseen by the Browns. If the management team decides on just luxury hotels, then that is all that will be built on the property. If some casual dining establishments are needed, they can decide whether that is Applebee’s or Chili’s, and nobody else.

It would be assumed that the Browns will benefit financially from all of these venues built at the site with a percentage paid to the team. In beachside communities, it is a common practice to assess a “bed tax” on every room sold. Usually, this is from a local governmental agency, but it can be applied to the same principle where an additional fee is attached to everything involved inside the complex, collected, and placed into a special account and used for whatever purpose.

And if the front section of the complex is adjacent to the interstate, this will provide a dual purpose for restaurants and hotels, who will need customers all year round and not just on eight or nine home game dates.

Add the fact that this complex is convenient to the airport, and the whole thing is quietly becoming a tidy package. Fans can fly into nearby Cleveland Hopkins International Airport just on the other side of I-71, take a shuttle to their hotel, spend the weekend at places to eat and party, tailgate the morning of the game, walk to the stadium, and then fly out the following day. And never have to spend one minute looking for a place to park or pay that expanding fee.

Or sit in minus-degree weather for three hours.

Although Ohio Republicans don’t believe there will be any issue in passing the bill, it did not come to this point without a fight.

Republican leaders control the House majority. State representative Ron Ferguson, a Republican, went against his party and formed an alliance with Democratic representative Sean Brennan in an effort to squash the deal.

The pair attempted to insert a measure into the budget bill with a “floor amendment” that was designed to eliminate the funding for the project. Lawmakers would first have to see this before they could vote on the final bill itself. Ferguson believed he had the support of his fellow Republicans to kill the Browns project with his amendment.

When Republican House Speaker Matt Huffman heard of the floor amendment, he called Republican representative Brian Stewart, who then moved to increase the up-front money the Browns would stake for the project from $38 million to $50 million.

With Stewart’s proposition, the State of Ohio would get to keep this money, plus interest, if the Browns failed to pay off the bonds. This ensured greater security collateral for the taxpayers.

Stewart’s amendment passed 55-15.

Not able to accept defeat, Ferguson then tried to introduce another amendment that would prohibit any funds from an existing state program to pay for any roadways that was associated with any professional sports venue.

Republican leaders tried to stop the amendment, but it went up for a vote and was defeated 50-49.

The budget bill eventually passed with no changes, other than Stewart’s amendment increasing the Browns’ up-front money. The budget, including the stadium financing deal, now heads to the state Senate for consideration.

Governor Mike DeWine has stated that he doesn’t like the financing plan but feels the entire sports complex project is important. He has previously proposed another plan that identifies funding for any Ohio-based sports stadium projects. DeWine wants to double the tax on gambling operators from 20% to 40%. He has stated that this plan would provide a constant revenue stream.

The Cincinnati Bengals are also discussing building a new stadium or the potential of moving.

They expect the budget bill to be signed by June 30th. It is uncertain if DeWine will allow this to proceed or if he will veto it because his plan is not included.