CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The Cleveland Browns penned a letter to Northeast Ohio Cleveland Browns fans on Tuesday in conjunction with a new federal court filing.
The new court filing says the city does not have proper plans to have a new stadium by 2029, when the Browns' lease is up at Huntington Bank Field.
The new filing also argues the city cannot force the Browns to be obligated to a contract that expires in 2029.
“But in the past four years, the City has made little effort to partner with the Browns to realize these ambitious development plans,” said the court filing. “Despite years of discussions, the City still does not have an actionable plan for connecting the lakefront to downtown on any timeline, let alone one that can be executed by 2029.”
The Browns also claim the city does not have enough money to refurbish the lakefront into a new stadium for the Browns.
“The City thus proposes to pour its scarce dollars into refurbishing a stadium that is already thirty years old, with no realistic prospect that the renovation will create either sustainable economic development on the lakefront or a sustainable home for the Browns,” the filing said. “This short-sighted proposal would cost its taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars and leave them with nothing more than they have now—a deteriorating open-air stadium that sits idle most of the year."
Nearly simultaneous to the federal court filing, the Cleveland Browns also [posted a letter addressed to Northeast Ohio Browns fans](https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/a-letter-to-cleveland-browns-fans-in-northeast-ohio-and-beyond-on-our-stadium-process?fbclid=IwY2xjawJGkexleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHSGDM4Zr_l9G6-wpRI5_LrhDaQhTZ0OnXNOsloyCF1Fyncb8qm4jCeA1QQ_aem_LXy1D8Syq3pbI0_759R1XQ).
The letter affirms the Browns commitment to Northeast Ohio with a stadium that sits “less than a mile from Cleveland city limits.”
> In short, our region deserves a world-class project like this. We love Cleveland and Northeast Ohio and are committed to our community, our schools, our youth sports programs, our involvement in local healthcare, and our extensive impact programs.
>
> This project reinforces our dedication to Greater Cleveland and all of Northeast Ohio. HSG, together with its development partners, is prepared to invest more than $2 billion in private capital in the proposed new stadium and surrounding development.
The lawsuit also stated the new domed stadium will bring economic increase to Northeast Ohio, a sentiment reconfirmed in the letter.
“We’ve made a promise to ensure our team remains the Cleveland Browns, and our Brook Park plans solidify that commitment,” the letter said.
The new court filing asks for leave from federal court so the Browns can add new parties and claims to the federal lawsuit.
The filing also seeks damages from the city for expenses from the ongoing legal battle.
_19 News has reached out to the city of Cleveland for a comment on the new court filing and letter. We have not yet received a response._
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