"We have a bold vision that is going to be an expensive vision." The director of 3CDC says they are dreaming big.
The downtown development corporation unveiling its plans for a major makeover of Cincinnati's Convention Center. Design firms that have worked on convention centers in Nashville and New York City providing their vision of what the one at Fifth and Elm downtown could become.
Steve Leeper with 3CDC says the plans include a new exterior, improved entrances, extended exhibit space, plus updated meeting rooms and ball rooms. There would be new outdoor event space across Elm Street which would be closed to vehicular traffic and new public space on the roof. The pricetag for the project is being put at $200 million dollars and Leper says they are working on a funding plan now which would involve reworking the current Transient Occupancy Tax.
3CDC is also working with prospective developers to build a new 800 room convention hotel downtown which would be seperate from the makeover of the convention center itself. The proposed site for the hotel is south of the convention center at Fifth and Plum. Requests for proposals for the hotel are due from developers next week.