The City of
Rochester will most likely look to a state competition to fund a $100 million
expansion of the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester
Riverside Convention Center on East Main Street.
Governor
Andrew Cuomo’s Upstate Revitalization Initiative will award $500 million each
to three regions in Upstate New York. Regions have to submit their
revitalization plans, including a list of the projects they want funded, by
October 5.
The
convention center opened in 1985. This would be its first expansion.
“There’s a vibrancy and investment being made in downtown in
general,” says James Brown, executive director of the convention center, “and we
need to take advantage of that. We’re at an age now where if we don’t commit to
some upgrades and renovation work, we have the potential to start losing our
current business and also not be able to take advantage of new, emerging
markets… or even the national business markets.”
The project
would add about 60,000 square feet to the 100,000-square-foot convention
center. The expansion would be built off the south end of the building, toward
the Broad Street bridge.
It would
add 20,000 square feet of exhibit space, 15,000 square feet of meeting space,
and a 20,000-square-foot ballroom. The center already has a 10,000-square-foot
ballroom. This second room would be built on top of the center’s exhibit space,
bringing the building up to four floors.
There is
also talk of adding a direct, below-ground pedestrian connection between the center
and the Blue Cross Arena, using the aqueduct.
“We’ve
always been a proponent of that connection,” Brown says, “because we’ve always
felt that’s a natural thing, and you see that in other
cities.”
Brown says that there’s no back-up plan if the state funding doesn’t come through.
This article appears in Aug 5-11, 2015.
Wow!
While I want to see more development downtown, I would be interested in seeing the occupancy rate for the convention center today. Rochester isn’t a major destination for tourist or conventions. The convention center alone doesn’t attract conventions. I hear the argument repeatedly that enlargement will bring more bookings to the center. How effective is that for other cities of our size?
$100 million for War Memeorial expansion? How about $100 million to fight poverty?
“$100 million for War Memeorial expansion?” Ummm, this was about expanding the Convention Center, not the War Memorial ….
Not that I’m saying that this is necessarily the right thing to do (I agree with Brian Keith about seeing occupancy rates for the Convention Center, before deciding that it needs to be expanded).
A theater, build it and they will come and if not, oh well the city will keep it going. Now build a new convention center, build it and they will come and if not, oh well nice try. Cuomo and the judges might even go or that. Utilization? Need? Justification? Not necessary within the political thought process. It doesn’t have to make business sense, it’s the government. Besides the dollars come from the State, not our pockets! Oh, really, think again.
Convention cCenter, War Memorial…all the same. $100 million would be better spent focused on where the money is desperately needed.
I would agree, but just handing the money out doesn’t resolve the poverty issue. We need to provide education, which will provide a profession and career. If you hand it out and it runs out, it’s back to getting more funding for a handout. I’m all in for giving a helping hand that will allow people to eventually help themselves. This is precisely what doesn’t appear to resonate with the politician. We have a poverty committee of individuals that collectively have millions in personal assets and they are going to distribute the tax dollars and cents as though the amount doesn’t really matter. I think they would view the handout a little differently if their own wealth was tapped along with the average “Joe Schmoo’s” tax contribution. Let’s teach and educate, which will be a “gift” for a lifetime.
“Convention cCenter, War Memorial…all the same. $100 million would be better spent focused on where the money is desperately needed. “- Tom J
Absolutely. I agree. Either a tax cut for everyone or a seed fund for start-up businesses that would be creating jobs.
Adding 60,000 square feet to 100,000 would be HUGE! Wouldn’t a renovation with minimal expansion suffice? This proposal is at the high end of what we need because the money is perceived as being free.
When one of the best arguments you can make to spend $100 million to expand the Convention Center is that it would enable the Rochester Auto Show to expand, you essentially have no argument. There is not one shred of evidence that dumping $100 million on the Convention Center is going to have any payback whatsoever. The Center talks about booking 300+ dates a year. Big deal. One of the more frequent uses of the center is for wedding receptions. Expanding the Convention Center with public tax dollars so it can compete more effectively with private operations that essentially do the same thing – the Burgundy Basin, for instance – is an egregious waste of tax dollars.
Rochester is not a first tier, nor is even a second or third tier convention town. This is a city that recently slipped from the top 100 largest cities in the US list, an indication of a city moving in the wrong direction. You could spend $500 million on the Convention Center and it would be unlikely to make a smidgen of difference in bringing big time conventions to Rochester. Rochester is just not in the conversation when it comes to convention sites. If city leaders really feel that we need to come up with something to spend $100 million on, how about blowing up the Blue Cross Arena and starting over? The used seats in the arena (believe they came from a now defunct arena in Cleveland) are packed so tightly that your knees hit the back of the seat in front of you. BCA is a relic from a different era that needs to be rebuilt from scratch, and blowing $100 million to enlarge a convention center that is already under utilized would likely crowd out a decision to re-do the BCA anytime within the next decade.
Yup, agreed. All those statistics point to an unwise, at best, decision. That said, count on, bet on it, I guarantee it,……if the politician gets the chance, the business aspect will be swept under the carpet. They will build it as a monument to their political success. This is how the politician’s mind works. It is precisely the difference between the business person and the politician, ego. That political success will have absolutely no impact on poverty and education (and not necessarily in that order) and they could give a dam less. Watch it play out.
I expect a little more from City Newspaper on this one. What’s your assessment? Is it worth it? Is there any justification? Can Rochester effectively compete with places like Orlando and Vegas that are routinely bringing in huge tradeshows and conferences? Or, can Rochester compete with the next tier? As someone who has been to tradeshows in those cities (particularly Orlando) – blech. We can do better. If you can become a business conference destination city (maybe), there’s money to be made – but travelers need a reason to come to Rochester NY. Is a big convention center enough? Doubtful… is there any plan to market Rochester as a “package deal” convention city? With attractions, family-friendly activities, history, etc.? Doubtful. City, give us more than the announcement, here. What’s the value? What’s the outlook? What’s needed to make this successful, and can it happen?
Bring the new convention center,Rochester is too conservative.
I agree with Tina. While we are conservative in our development, Buffalo is spending OUR money. After receiving not one , but MANY billions of dollars from taxpayers, now they want another one or two billion to expand the light rail in an area that has been hemorrhaging people for years.
Sigh…looks like a big blank wall along Broad Street. Just what downtown needs. And is that yet another overhead walkway from the South Avenue garage? Walking from the other walkway at the other end OF THE SAME BUILDING must just be too taxing?
Spending half of this money, $50 million, on 10 smaller projects, say 3-5 story, mixed use infill buildings on surface parking lots, and the other half on FINALLY completing the Genesee Riverway Trail through downtown would do more for downtown and Rochester’s image then a renovated convention center. Make Rochester a great, lively, vibrant, beautiful city for the people who live here.