The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) yesterday filed legislation with the State House of Representatives to authorize the expansion of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC) in the South Boston Waterfront.
Coâ€sponsored by state Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry and state Rep. Nick Collins, the bill authorizes a 1.3 millionâ€squareâ€foot expansion of the BCEC, including substantial additions to the exhibit and meeting space and a second, larger ballroom.
Funding for the $1 billion expansion would be supported by the existing Convention Center Fund, which was created in 1997 to pay for the construction and operations of the BCEC. The Convention Center Fund revenues consist of existing tourismâ€based fees and taxes, none of which would need to be increased to fund the expansion project, according to a press release.
"This legislation is the culmination of a fourâ€year transparent and public campaign aimed at increasing Boston and Massachusetts’ share of the meeting and convention industry," James Rooney, MCCA executive director, said in a statement.
The MCCA’s expansion campaign, named Top 5, was first announced in 2009 and seeks to increase the number of hotel rooms near the BCEC and expand the facility to better accommodate growing or overlapping events.
In June, the boards of the MCCA and the Massachusetts Port Authority approved a letter of intent to work cooperatively to seek private developers for a headquarters hotel project on Massport land in the South Boston Waterfront. As planned, the project would consist of at least two hotels, with a total of 1,200 to 1,500 rooms, creating around 2,000 construction jobs and nearly 1,000 permanent jobs. It is expected to be one of the largest hotel projects in the nation that when complete would generate more than $25 million annually in city and state tax revenue.
Earlier this year, the MCCA board of directors selected a team to develop two midâ€priced hotels with 510 rooms directly across from the BCEC. Groundbreaking is expected late this year or early in 2014, with the opening scheduled for late 2015.
