As the Cleveland Browns' plans to relocate to a new stadium in Brook Park materialize, recently unveiled renderings commissioned by Destination Cleveland give an alternative view of what could have been at Burke Lakefront Airport's site. These conceptual drawings depict a 70,000-seat domed stadium flanked by two hotels, thousands of residential units, considerable retail space, and an adjoining marina.
However, now less than a brushstroke in the broader canvas of Cleveland's urban development, the images—by Vocon architects—reflect a vision never embraced by the Browns' owners, according to cleveland.com. The Haslam Sports Group, despite being shown Destination Cleveland's renderings 10 days before the city announced the move, deemed the Burke site cost-prohibitive and not feasible, especially with the lack of certainty surrounding the potential airport closure.
Meanwhile, the Browns are pursuing a vast development project near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, with the new stadium as a keystone of the $2.4 billion venture. This development comes in light of an ongoing lawsuit challenging the Modell Law, which requires Browns' owners to consider offers from entities that would keep the team in the downtown Cleveland area before relocating. This move is driven by the expiration of their lease on the city-owned downtown stadium in 2028.
Destination Cleveland's involvement was to explore the potential of the Burke Lakefront Airport area, informed by studies in September revealing its modest economic impact and considering its closure. According to a statement obtained by WKYC, the agency decided "to remain neutral" despite producing the renderings. Emily Lauer, Vice President of PR and Communications for Destination Cleveland, stated their only contribution "could provide value to the negotiations would be – if needed – to conduct research to inform decision making."
Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne has expressed support for retaining the Browns downtown and urged the Haslams to reconsider the Burke land's possibilities. As discussed in an interview with News 5 Cleveland, Ronayne sees the conversation about the Browns' stadium location as far from settled. Yet, the Destination Cleveland renderings appeared only to fuel the debate, not alter the course of the team's intentions.
