Governor Spitzer is facing opposition in his attempt to snuff out any Javits Center expansion by selling land surrounding the center to fill budget gaps. The administration still plans to renovate the convention center, but it will result in far less space than what was originally envisioned for the expansion, which would have cost between $1.8 billion and $3 billion. Senator Charles Schumer, Mayor Bloomberg and City Council speaker Christine C. Quinn oppose the land sale, which would effectively eliminate the possibility of any future expansion.
The Times notes that after a surge in convention center construction around the country, the market has been flooded with trade show space and cities like Atlanta and Orlando have seen little return on their huge investments. Supporters of the Javits expansion concede that while convention centers often lose money, the investment is paid back to the city when tens of thousands of visitors spend money on hotels, restaurants and tourist activities. But a hotel advisory group reports that even without the expansion, hotels in Manhattan have had record high occupancy rates for the past three years, and the hotel industry has balked at an increased hotel tax to finance the expansion.
Anonymous sources tell the Post that Spitzer has blasted Quinn with irate phone calls, and his aides called her aides “fu*king idiots” The state needs legislative approval before selling the land, and state Senator John Flanagan, a Long Island Republican, will hold a public hearing on the 28th, during which Quinn, Bloomberg and some other “idiots” will try to stand up to the steamroller. But a board meeting of the Javits Development Corporation on March 5th will be the real test.
Photo: AllWaysNY.
