Browns Airport-Adjacent Stadium Plan Cleared for Takeoff

The Browns’ suburban stadium plans are now cleared for takeoff after Ohio transportation regulators resolved concerns about the venue’s proposed height near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. 

More than a month after initially denying a permit for the NFL team’s proposed $2.4 billion stadium in Brook Park, Ohio, the Ohio Department of Transportation said the venue’s planned height of 221 feet above ground will not disrupt nearby air traffic and has granted the permit.

“All along, our goal has been to ensure that all concerns were heard and addressed, and a resolution could be found,” said ODOT director Pamela Boratyn in a statement. 

ODOT previously had sought to either have the Browns reduce the height of the stadium or select another location farther away from the airport, raising a series of safety concerns. Amid a series of negotiations between the team and regulators, a third-party consultant ultimately found that the stadium’s construction would not divert any flight paths.

Additionally, the venue will have roof lighting required by the Federal Aviation Administration.

“We respect both the comprehensive work that the FAA did to determine that our stadium project poses no hazard to the surrounding area and ODOT’s diligent process to confirm these findings,” said Dave Jenkins, president of Browns owner Haslam Sports Group. “Safety is of paramount importance to all of us and was at the forefront of our detailed and deliberate process with our FAA consultants, who we engaged with well before our architects began designing the stadium.”

The Browns intend to break ground early next year and open the new stadium in 2029, after the expiration of their current lease at the downtown Huntington Bank Field. There are still several other hurdles to overcome, however, including filling a funding gap of at least $300 million that the team has intended to come from public sources, and ongoing legal challenges, including from the city of Cleveland. 

The team, meanwhile, is part of a fast-growing stadium development wave in the NFL that includes projects for the Bills and Titans that are well into active construction, and final approval this week for a Commanders stadium in the District of Columbia. Other teams, such as the Bears, Broncos, and Eagles, are either actively pursuing new stadiums or are considering ones as well.