Negotiations regarding the Browns’ future stadium plans are still developing. A week after the Browns released a statement expressing their desire to survey “additional sites” for future stadiums, a new report from Signal Cleveland reveals that the team made an initial pitch to city and state governments to split a $1 billion bill to renovate the current Lakefront stadium.

Nick Castele reported the story, citing two municipal council members as sources. As Castele reports, at a meeting this fall, the Haslam Sports Group sought $500-600 million in state and local government funds to pay half of the renovation project. The ownership group would bear the remaining half of the anticipated $1-1.2 billion project cost.

This latest update follows Ken Prendergast of the NEOTrans Blog’s story that Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam were close to reaching an agreement to buy 176 acres of land in Brook Park, roughly 1,000 feet from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. While there was no concrete evidence that the parcel of land would be utilized to build a new stadium, the team’s statement hours later appeared to suggest it was at least a possibility.

“We have been upfront about how complicated future stadium development can be. One thing is certain: we are committed to significantly improve the fan experience while also making a revolutionary and long-term impact on Northeast Ohio. We recognize the importance of the opportunity with a stadium project aimed at attracting more large-scale events to our region, and we are carefully considering all options.

We appreciate the collaborative effort with the City of Cleveland and Mayor Bibb’s leadership in studying the landbridge and restoring the existing stadium. At the same time, as part of our overall planning efforts, we are looking into other prospective stadium choices in Northeast Ohio at other locations. There is still a lot of work and investigation to be done before a long-term solution is identified, and we will provide more updates as needed.”
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Castele’s piece reports on the latest twist in the Browns’ prospective stadium drama, which revolves around whether to upgrade the present stadium or start from scratch and create a new facility for the team. The city reiterated in its own statement last week that keeping the beloved Browns in downtown Cleveland is its primary priority, but that’s easier said than done when taxpayer monies are involved.

As Castele mentioned, the city, along with Cuyahoga County, contributed half of the $140 million renovation of  Fieldhouse six years ago. These two parties, along with the state, paid two-thirds of the $202.5 million price for the Progressive Field refurbishment. However, the Browns Stadium project would be Cleveland’s most expensive sports complex renovation in recent memory.