BROOK PARK, Ohio — Melissa and Nathan Botke live right next to Interstate 71, within walking distance of the proposed site of a new Cleveland Browns stadium.
They’ve been worried about how road construction around the stadium will impact their house, which has been in Melissa’s family for three generations.
On Tuesday night, the couple was relieved to learn that planned changes to roads, freeway ramps and sidewalks in Brook Park won’t require taking anyone’s home or cutting through anyone’s yard.
“The mayor already told us that’s not happening,” Melissa Botke said of her primary concern. “The next was how is it gonna impact us, just our daily lives. Like getting to work. Getting home. Things like that. So we just wanted to see what the traffic plan was and the flow of traffic.”
Neighbors got their first up-close look at plans for reimagined roads and pedestrian paths around the stadium Tuesday, during a packed open house at Brook Park’s municipal complex. The city and the Ohio Department of Transportation hosted the meeting as part of a federally mandated review process.
Regional transportation planners are still debating whether the city and consultants working for Haslam Sports Group, the owner of the Browns, are taking a broad enough look at how the stadium project will impact traffic in southwestern Cuyahoga County.
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NOACA, a metropolitan planning agency, is doing its own evaluation of the project team’s findings and recommendations. Earlier this month, a NOACA committee pumped the brakes on the agency’s approval process – sending the road and traffic plans back for more in-depth discussions.
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But Tuesday’s open house wasn’t about that. It was an opportunity for people to ask questions about what Brook Park is proposing. And to get some answers.
“So far, so good,” Melissa Botke said after making her way around a room filled with drawings and display easels. She and Nathan brought along their 10-month-old son, Zeke, who goggled at the pictures and the crowd.
“I feel like they’re doing a really good job making sure it’s not impacting the citizens of Brook Park,” Melissa said. “I feel like they’re doing a good job creating different pathways. … Even on game days, there’s going to be some traffic, I understand that. But I don’t think it’s going to hinder us too much.”
Her husband jumped in: “Yeah. We just won’t leave on Sunday. … But that’s OK.”
Brook Park hopes to win $70.3 million in competitive state funding for public infrastructure upgrades around the future stadium site, which sits east of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. In public documents, the city and Haslam Sports Group have said they also could pursue federal grants and loans, if necessary.
The money would pay for six projects:
• Adding an extra lane to the I-71 northbound exit ramp at Snow Road.
• Extending the I-71 southbound exit ramp at Snow Road by adding a flyover bridge over busy railroad tracks to Engle Road, leading into the development site.
• Streamlining the tangle of local roads around the 176-acre site, where a Ford Motor Co. engine plant and casting plant once stood.
• Widening and shifting Engle Road as it approaches the site from the south.
• Widening the northern section of Engle Road and adding sidewalks.
• Building a pedestrian bridge over Engle Road near Hummel Road, between the stadium site and potential public parking areas to the northeast.
Haslam Sports Group also is proposing a new Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority Rapid train station just west of the stadium site.
But that’s a separate project – with an estimated price tag of $40 million. RTA has said it won’t pay to build a new station.
Brook Park aims to start construction on the road projects in the spring of 2027.
The city and ODOT are accepting public comments until Nov. 27 from anyone who wants to weigh in.
People can submit their feedback online; by emailing Brook Park’s public works director, at bbeyer@cityofbrookpark.com; by phone, at 216-433-7192; or by mailing a letter or a comment form to Brian Beyer at 19065 Holland Road, Brook Park, OH 44142.
NOACA is coordinating with Brook Park to schedule a more regional public meeting about traffic and transportation. That meeting could take place in early December.
Representatives from NOACA, the Greater Cleveland Partnership, Cuyahoga County and Cleveland City Council attended Tuesday’s open house.
Brook Park Mayor Edward Orcutt greeted everyone at the door, but there was no formal presentation.
Most of the people in the room were curious or anxious Brook Park residents.
“Things don’t change,” Nathan Botke said of the suburb. “So I know there’s a lot of nervous tension. And that’s why there’s such a big turnout here.”
John Galehouse, Jr., has spent most of his life in Brook Park. He and his wife also live near the development site. On Tuesday night, he felt comfortable with what he saw.
“Things look, initially, at this point, pretty well,” he said. “Yeah, they look pretty well.”
At 76, he’s looking forward to the stadium’s projected opening in 2029 – and hoping he’ll be able to make it to at least one game there.
Nicholas and Sarah Frey bought their house in Brook Park in early 2023 and recently got married. They live south of the future stadium site – close enough to hear crews with heavy equipment moving dirt to prepare the land for development.
She works in Solon. His job is in Cleveland. They’re both bracing for construction detours and temporary changes to their commutes. They’re also expecting more noise.
But they said the trade-offs will be worth it if the stadium and entertainment district bring more businesses to the area.
Sarah Frey grew up in Brook Park. She watched the old automotive plants close as Ford – still a major employer in the city – trimmed its footprint.
Now she’s hoping for a rebound.
“I just saw our town go down. … I’m glad it’s coming back a little more. But hopefully with the stadium, it will make our city better,” she said.
That’s how Nathan and Melissa Botke feel, too.
“We might be a minority, but we’re excited,” Melissa Botke said.
“There’s a need,” Nathan Botke said. “I know a lot of people don’t think that. … We want concerts. We want big names. Like the Taylor Swifts. She needs a stadium where she can have a dome and not have weather worries.”
After seeing the road plans up close, they’re reassured.
“We’re not losing our front yard,” Melissa Botke said, with a laugh. “We still have lots of grass to cut.”
