BOSTON
The Massachusetts House of Representatives has voted in favor of the proposed $1.1 billion expansion of the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center (BCEC), which means the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) is one step closer in its plans to more than double the size of the current facility as the bill moves forward to the Senate.
According to the MCCA, a number of major hotel companies have submitted letters of interest to build a 1,000-room headquarters hotel next to the convention center, including Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, MGM Resorts, Omni, and Starwood Hotels & Resorts.
The project will reportedly come at no additional cost to taxpayers, but will instead be funded in the form of foregone revenue from the existing Convention Center Fund, currently being used to pay off the original $850 million BCEC construction bond.
Executive Director of the MCCA James E. Rooney released the following statement:
We are pleased by the steady progress of our BCEC expansion legislation at the State House. Successful passage of this legislation will result in an incredible opportunity to grow Massachusetts’ share of the meetings and conventions industry and increase our economic return for the Commonwealth in a major way, including the creation of thousands of construction and permanent jobs.
I am thankful to the House for a thorough and productive dialog throughout the legislative process, and look forward to continuing the conversation with the Senate in the near future.
The Boston Globe reported the Senate is expected to vote on the expansion by the end of the legislative session on July 31, and if successful, the expanded convention center and adjoining headquarters hotel are expected to open in 2019.
More details on the BCEC expansion can be found on the Advantage Boston website.
