BROOK PARK, Ohio — Residents will have a chance to learn more about how a proposed Cleveland Browns stadium could affect traffic and transportation across Brook Park and the region during a public meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 14, hosted by the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency and the city.

The meeting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Brook Park Elementary School Auditorium, 17001 Holland Road, and will focus on regional transportation and traffic pattern changes tied to the planned stadium development.

City officials say the size and scope of the project make transportation one of Brook Park’s top concerns.

“The City of Brook Park is conducting a comprehensive evaluation of the proposed transportation system. Traffic management is the City’s primary concern,” Mayor Edward Orcutt said. “We are working with NOACA, Osborn Engineering, and their consultants to develop traffic controls and mitigation measures for the anticipated increase in vehicles.”

Preliminary modeling has identified several major corridors and intersections expected to experience the greatest traffic impacts on game days and during major events. Those include Brookpark Road, Snow Road and the proposed Ring Road, as well as Brookpark Road at Henry Ford Boulevard, Snow Road at Engle Road and Hummel Road at Henry Ford Boulevard, Orcutt said.

During Wednesday’s meeting, residents and business owners will hear updates from the city and its planning partners.

“The January 14 meeting will give the public another opportunity to learn about the project and provide feedback,” Orcutt said. “Attendees will hear updates from the City and our partners, including preliminary transportation findings and project goals, and will be invited to comment so the City and the Haslam Sports Group can refine plans for long-term success.”

NOACA, the region’s metropolitan planning organization, is working with Brook Park and other local governments to evaluate how the proposed stadium could influence local and regional roadways, transit service, pedestrian and bicycle connectivity, safety and overall mobility.

Specific infrastructure upgrades have not yet been finalized. Orcutt said a number of road, signal and transit options are still under evaluation and will be shared once analysis is complete.

City leaders have also emphasized that surrounding neighborhoods will not be used to absorb stadium traffic.

“From day one I have been clear that neighborhood streets will not be used as overflow for stadium traffic,” Orcutt said. “We are developing traffic-control options, including selective road closures to nonlocal traffic on game days.”

Officials say community feedback will continue to play a key role as planning moves forward.

“Residents and businesses are encouraged to attend upcoming public meetings and open houses and to contact the City with their input,” Orcutt said. “The more these plans are reviewed and challenged by the community, the stronger and more successful the final project will be.”

NOACA describes the Jan. 14 meeting as an open forum where the public can ask questions, share perspectives and help inform how transportation needs and infrastructure opportunities are studied and reflected in future planning and decision-making.

Those who cannot attend in person can submit comments and feedback by email at noaca@mpo.noaca.org, through Mindmixer at noacalive.mindmixer.com, by mail at 1299 Superior Ave. E., Cleveland, OH 44114, or by phone at 216-241-2414, ext. 303.

Orcutt said his position on the project remains firm.

“I have said from Day 1 that this project must be a positive for the City of Brook Park,” he said. “If it is not, then I will not support it.”

While the Browns search for a new head coach is well under way, a former Cleveland Browns head coach has just made a major decision on his NFL career.

Before Kevin Stefanski gave the Browns a little security, the Browns head coaching job was just as much of a rotating door as the quarterbacks. Many different coaches got their opportunity to try and be the savior of Cleveland, but none could get it done.

Former Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine, who more recently served as an assistant head coach for the Minnesota Vikings, has officially announced his retirement from football according to Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell.

Pettine led the Browns in 2014 and 15, where he was expected to bring a strong defensive mentality for a Cleveland team that was struggling.

Pettine’s time with the Browns started well, with him going 7-4 to start the 2014 season. After that, things began to go downhill for his tenure. The Browns would lose their next five games, finishing the year 7-9 and missing out on the postseason.

In 2015, things were even worse as Pettine led Cleveland to just a 3-13 record. After Pettine lost their final game of the season, he was immediately fired on the same day. He would be replaced by Hue Jackson, who would go 1-31 with the Browns.

During 2014, Pettine helped the Browns become one of the better defenses in the NFL. They ranked inside the top 10 in points allowed, giving up just 337 points all season long.

The defense had three players named to the Pro Bowl, with corner Joe Haden and safety’s Donte Whitner and Tashaun Gipson. The team also had a few impressive veterans such as linebacker Karlos Dansby and EDGE Paul Kruger.

The offense, however, was a different story. Despite a solid offensive line with All-Pro and now Hall of Famer Joe Thomas, Mitchell Schwartz, John Greco, Alex Mack (who missed most of the year with an injury), and a rookie Joel Bitonio, quarterback issues limited the team.

Veteran Brian Hoyer, who threw for 3,000 yards and 12 touchdowns to 13 picks, competed against a rookie Johnny Manziel, who struggled to earn any playing time.

Terrance West led the team in rushing with 673 yards, and Andrew Hawking led the team in receiving with 824 yards. Overall, the offense ranked 27th in points scored.

His second year wasn’t pretty. The team ranked bottom three in both points allowed and points scored.

The offensive line, despite Thomas still being named an All-Pro, couldn’t hold up for Manziel or Josh McCown. Isaiah Crowell led the team in rushing with 706, and tight end Gary Barndige led the team in receiving, 1,043, during his breakout campaign.

After Haden got injured, the defense fell apart. Kruger, Gipson and Whitner all regressed and the team had no life and no direction anymore. Pettine was fired, and the Browns entered an even darker era.

Outside of the Browns and Vikings, Pettine served in coaching positions for the Jets, Seahawks, Ravens, Bears, Packers and Bills over a 23 year career.

• The median age of U.S. homes is increasing due to a lag in new construction, according to Redfin.
• Cleveland, Ohio, ranks eighth among U.S. cities with the oldest homes, with a median home age of 59 years.
• Buffalo, New York, has the oldest homes in the nation, with a median housing age of 66 years.

Houses on the U.S. housing market are aging faster than new construction can keep up, according to Redfin, and one Ohio city has some of the nation’s oldest homes.

Redfin named 10 cities with the oldest houses in the U.S. — cities where new construction has lagged for decades. The company notes that the median age of U.S. homes has increased from 35 years in 2012 to 41 years in 2025, indicating that fewer new homes are being built. Redfin says that this underbuilding has contributed to a more expensive housing market.

Here are the 10 U.S. cities with the oldest homes, and which Ohio city stands out.

Cleveland among cities with the oldest houses in the U.S.

Cleveland remains relatively affordable compared to other housing markets, but the city ranked No. 8 out of the 10 cities with the oldest homes in the country, with a median home age of 59 years. Redfin notes that 25% of the city’s homes were built before 1950, and just 1% of the city’s housing stock has been built since 2020. As a result, housing is getting more expensive. 

Cleveland saw a median home price around $130,000 in late 2025, according to a housing market report from Redfin. However, prices climbed about 5% year-over-year. This reflects a broader trend statewide, as home prices in Ohio were up 5.6%, while the number of homes sold fell 3.6% and the number of homes for sale rose 7.4%.

Cleveland faces an intense housing crisis as supply remains low while demand remains high, fueling a tight market. Redfin states one proposal from the city to ease the crisis includes investing in modular housing to fill Cleveland’s 18,000 vacant lots with new homes.

Hot housing: 5 Ohio cities that dominate list of top housing markets in the US in 2025

Top 10 U.S. cities with the oldest homes

Buffalo tops the list with homes averaging 66 years old, while Los Angeles rounds out the top 10 at 57 years. Here’s where Cleveland ranks.

1. Buffalo, New York: Median housing age, 66 years
2. New York City: 63 years
3. Springfield, Massachusetts: 63 years
4. Pittsburgh: 62 years
5. Scranton, Pennsylvania: 62 years
6. New Haven, Connecticut: 61 years
7. Boston: 60 years
8. Cleveland: 59 years
9. Bridgeport, Connecticut: 58 years
10. Los Angeles: 57 years