CLEVELAND — The Browns just notched a big victory in Columbus – securing a permit for their new suburban stadium, despite protests from Cleveland airport officials.
The Ohio Department of Transportation issued a permit for the project Thursday, clearing the stadium for take-off. The agency’s aviation office, which previously rejected the plans, changed its stance after working with an outside consultant to assess the proposal.
That consultant ultimately found that the enclosed stadium won’t pose a safety risk or impact flights at nearby Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Those findings align with a determination issued by the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this year.
ODOT’s reversal eliminates a potentially costly and time-consuming headache for the Browns. It means team owner Haslam Sports Group won’t have to adjust its stadium plans – by cutting the building’s height or shifting it around – to appease airport officials.
In a Thursday letter to Haslam Sports Group’s aviation lawyer, ODOT reiterated that the proposed Brook Park stadium will penetrate protected airspace by 58 feet, at its tallest point. But the agency granted a waiver for the project, saying the development “would not require any changes to current flight operations” at Hopkins.
Watch more about ODOT's initial stance below:
RELATED: ODOT rejects new Browns stadium as too tall. Browns push back, citing FAA's OK.
“All along our goal has been to ensure that all concerns were heard and addressed, and a resolution could be found,” ODOT Director Pamela Boratyn said in a news release.
Read the approval letter from ODOT below:
In an emailed statement, Haslam Sports Group President Dave Jenkins expressed appreciation for “ODOT’s diligent process” and the agency’s conclusion.
“Safety is of paramount importance to all of us,” he said, noting that Haslam Sports Group started working with aviation consultants early on in the stadium-planning process.
“We value our collaborative work with the FAA and ODOT, and also understand the importance of similar collaboration with Cleveland Hopkins airport leadership to ensure efficiency and success of both the airport's modernization efforts and our project in Brook Park," Jenkins added.
Bryant Francis, the city’s top airport official, told reporters in early September that the stadium “poses a potential safety risk that we do not believe is acceptable.”
RELATED: Cleveland airport director, Browns' aviation lawyer speak up about stadium fight
In an emailed statement Thursday evening, officials at Hopkins said their thinking hasn't changed.
“Ensuring safe and reliable operations has always been our highest priority,” the statement read. “As we’ve emphasized previously, any project with the potential to affect the airport’s operations is a major concern. While we respect ODOT’s decision, its reversal does not change our position: development matters, but not if it comes at the expense of the airport’s safe, efficient and reliable operations.”
ODOT initially denied a permit for the stadium in early August, citing objections from Hopkins. The agency said it traditionally defers to Ohio airport authorities in disagreements between local officials and the Federal Aviation Administration over potential obstructions.
The Browns faced the prospect of having to make late-in-the-game revisions to their plans – or filing an appeal and seeking a formal hearing over the dispute.
Instead, the parties negotiated privately and traded information over the course of about six weeks.
On Thursday, ODOT released a 19-page presentation from Haslam Sports Group’s aviation consultants and a four-page letter from Hopkins officials outlining their concerns. The agency also released a 19-page report produced by its outside consultant, a Florida-based company called Federal Airways & Airspace.
“Our analysis has determined the proposed stadium would have no adverse effect on the safety and efficient use of the aeronautical environment,” the report says.
In an emailed statement Thursday, Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne’s team expressed disappointment in ODOT’s reversal.
“We remain deeply concerned about the stadium project’s impact on airport safety and risk to the traveling public, and will be following up with ODOT leadership directly,” the county’s statement said.
The Browns aim to start moving dirt on the 176-acre stadium site this fall, with the goal of holding a groundbreaking in the spring.
The stadium is scheduled to open in the spring or summer of 2029 as part of a larger entertainment district, slated to include apartments, hotels, retail, dining, a smaller music venue and about 12,000 parking spaces.
The state has pledged $600 million to the $2.4 billion stadium. Lawmakers agreed to tap unclaimed funds – missing money the state is holding for people, businesses and other owners – to provide the $600 million grant.
Haslam Sports Group is still hammering out its deal with Brook Park to tap parking taxes, admissions taxes, and income taxes from the broader stadium district to help pay for construction.
Ronayne, meanwhile, has refused to participate in financing the deal.
The Browns’ lease at the existing stadium on the Downtown lakefront ends in early 2029. The city of Cleveland owns that stadium – and also owns Hopkins.
