Team officials announced Wednesday that they want to be a "catalyst" for development on land surrounding Cleveland Browns Stadium.
View full sizeA rendering shows pedestrian access to Cleveland Browns Stadium and mixed-use buildings to the north, as part of a lakefront development proposal from the football franchise. The team's leaders hope to attract private investment and shepherd projects that might include athletic fields, a sports-medicine facility, a parking garage and a walkway over the East Shoreway. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This city has many of the ingredients for a successful lakefront district -- the challenge is finding a way to blend them into a neighborhood that will attract visitors and jobs.
That's the message that the Hammes Co., a consultant hired by the Cleveland Browns, shared Wednesday during a news conference and a subsequent interview at the football team's downtown stadium.
The company, which has developed, managed and contributed to NFL projects in other cities, said proximity to downtown, public transportation, and nearby museums and attractions should make it easier to attract private investment to a prime site on Lake Erie.
Team officials announced Wednesday that they want to be a "catalyst" for development on land surrounding Cleveland Browns Stadium. President Mike Holmgren said the football franchise has no interest in being a developer; rather the Browns aim to use their local clout and name recognition to attract developers and dollars to the waterfront.
"This is my city," Holmgren said during the news conference, "and in my role as president it is my obligation to not only put a good product on the field but to get involved in helping Cleveland."
Sketches of a lakefront project include athletic fields and a potential sports-medicine or wellness facility on land north of Browns Stadium. The plans also show a 1,000-car parking garage south of the East Shoreway, connected to the stadium by an enclosed pedestrian bridge.
Browns officials repeatedly stressed that their vision is just that - a concept that could change slightly, or completely, based on feedback from developers and investors.
The Browns hired Hammes to study possibilities for lakefront growth and links between the stadium, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the Great Lakes Science Center, public transportation and other amenities.
The real estate company, based in Wisconsin, has been a consultant and manager on sports-centered projects including Ford Field in Detroit and the redevelopment of Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc.
In an interview, Hammes Partner Rob Robinson did not rule out playing a development role in Cleveland.
"We're also a real estate developer, so it's not out of the question," he said.
Project-finance experts said they haven't seen enough details to know whether the Browns' push can succeed when so many waterfront plans have languished. But business leaders and public officials expressed confidence Wednesday that the Browns can attract investment to an area of Cleveland that has sat fallow for decades.
"I feel comfortable that it just needs a tipping point, and I think we're close to that," Terry Stewart, president and chief executive of the Rock Hall, said during an interview. "This gives us a much better chance than we've had."
The Browns have launched a website about their concept.