BROOK PARK, Ohio — The city of Brook Park is laying the groundwork to seize a half-acre property near the future Cleveland Browns’ stadium site, making way for a pedestrian bridge for concertgoers and fans.
Legislation introduced at Brook Park City Council on Tuesday night signals the city’s intentions to acquire the land, at Engle and Hummel roads. The parcel is one corner of a larger, 4.5-acre site owned by a concrete company.
Officials are racing to get site control by Dec. 1 to meet a project deadline for the Ohio Department of Transportation. The pedestrian bridge is part of a broader bundle of public infrastructure upgrades designed to support the new stadium district.
Watch previous coverage: Brook Park takes next steps towards 'community authority' ownership of new Browns stadium
Mayor Edward Orcutt said he never expected to be in the position of using eminent domain — the government’s power to take private property for a public use. But that corner is a critical piece of the project team’s plans for moving people safely between the stadium and off-site parking areas to the east.
“We can’t have people playing Frogger across the street, leaving their parking areas from the industrial parkways,” Orcutt said during Tuesday’s council caucus meeting.
Osborne Concrete & Stone Co. owns the corner parcel and the concrete plant next door. The company, based in Mentor, did not respond to inquiries from News 5.
“This is not a position that I wanted to be in,” Orcutt told council members.
Brook Park is pursuing what’s known as a “quick take” — a path that allows the government to acquire a private property before a court approves the ultimate purchase price.
In typical eminent domain cases, a jury decides what the property is worth before the government can take possession of it.
But in a “quick take” situation, the public entity doesn’t have to wait for a jury’s decision. The property owner still gets paid, but the real estate changes hands first.
Watch previous coverage: Browns open sales center for new Brook Park stadium; PSL sales to start in mid-September
Public entities must prove that the situation is urgent, requiring swift action. The state often uses the “quick take” approach for roads and highway projects.
“At this point … I’m declaring that we have an emergency in this town when it comes to public safety and transportation,” Orcutt told council members, adding that the property on the corner hasn’t been used for anything in the 30 years he’s been driving by the site.
“Our intent is to negotiate,” he said. “The project team is working every single day, multiple meetings, all day long. A lot of moving parts. There’s a part of this project right now where we are stuck.”
Brook Park City Council advanced the initial resolution Tuesday. But they didn’t have the votes to suspend the rules and immediately pass it.
Watch previous coverage: Brook Park wins $25 million federal grant for road work around future Browns stadium site
The resolution, signaling the city's intentions to Osborne, will require one or two more readings, setting it up for passage later this month. That's the first step in the process.
Orcutt pointed out that the pedestrian bridge is part of a roughly $100 million package of road and public infrastructure upgrades drawn up by consultants working for Browns owner Haslam Sports Group. The projects have been formally adopted by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, a metropolitan planning organization that can open doors to state and federal funding.
If the pedestrian bridge can’t move forward, the project team might have to amend those plans, leading to delays and possibly putting some of that funding at risk, Orcutt told council members.
In April, a state advisory council approved $35 million for improvements to the Interstate 71 ramps at Snow Road. In early July, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced a $25 million grant for road improvements near the stadium site.
The city is seeking other funding, including Congressional earmarks, to help cover the rest of the cost.
The pedestrian bridge would stretch over Engle Road, just south of Hummel, leading from the stadium district to areas earmarked for off-site parking. Brook Park has been working with nearby property owners and businesses to line up more than 10,000 potential parking spaces for Browns games, concerts and other major events.
Watch previous coverage: Report says Browns need 10,000 off-site parking spaces in Brook Park
“When it comes to traffic, whether it’s bicycle, vehicle or pedestrian, we must have everything correct. … The pedestrian bridge is a must for this project,” Orcutt said during an interview after the council meeting.
Brook Park’s Planning Commission will hold a special meeting about parking in and around the 178-acre stadium district on Oct. 15.
The commission approved a preliminary plan for the district last year, with the caveat that Haslam Sports Group must include 13,000 on-site parking spaces. Now members will be asked to reconsider and reduce that number.
“We have looked at every ounce of this project,” Orcutt told council members, “and what we have learned is that 13,000 parking spots on-site is something that may cause congestion in other areas as we condense and try to get everybody into the site.”
Michelle Jarboe is the business growth and development reporter at News 5 Cleveland. Follow her on X @MJarboe or email her at Michelle.Jarboe@wews.com.
