Austin City Council says yes to $1.2 billion convention center expansion
The Austin City Council unanimously signed on Thursday to a $1.2 billion plan to expand the convention center, granting sweeping, unexpected consensus to an idea that has been a political hot potato for years.
The approved declaration directs staff members to move forward in assessing the financing tied to an expansion and came as part of a broad resolution that addressed several projects in southeastern downtown.
The move represented a policy swing for Council Member Kathie Tovo, who sponsored the resolution after previously expressing skepticism about Mayor Steve Adler’s push to expand the convention center. Tovo said Monday that a University of Texas architectural study completed this year showed her how the center could be rebuilt to allow better pedestrian access through its six-block footprint and to better interact with nearby Waller Creek. Seeing that, Tovo said, persuaded her to back the mayor’s idea.
“It’s a big thing that the council wants to move forward on the convention center,” Adler said Thursday. “It’s a big deal on many levels.”
Read more: https://www.statesman.com/news/20190523/city-council-says-yes-to-12-billion-convention-center-expansion
