State lawmakers have approved a $1.1 billion expansion of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center which is expected to make the venue one of the top five meetings destinations in the US.
Approval by the Massachusetts House of Representatives brings the project a step closer to reality and although it still needs to be sanctioned by the governor and Senate, both senate president Therese Murray and governor Deval Patrick have shown support for the project.
The expansion would increase the South Boston venue by 60%, adding 1.3 million square feet of space, including meeting rooms, exhibition areas and ballrooms.
Officials say no new tax hikes will be needed to fund the project and will use existing revenue generated from hotel and tourism taxes in the city.
Apart from the expansion itself, convention center executive director James Rooney wants to attract thousands of new hotel rooms in the area.
He said there are 1,700 rooms within walking distance of the center, while New Orleans, which has a similar facility competing with Boston for convention business, has 8,000 rooms.
Currently, there is a pipeline for 500 new hotel rooms under construction in the vicinity.
