Cobo Center Plan Gets Nod

The board of Detroit’s main convention center last week approved a plan for a series of short-term improvements and a scaled-back expansion that is expected to cost about $20 million.

The plan is in lieu of a high-profile $300 million expansion that was pushed by state and local officials last year.

Home to the North American International Auto Show, the Cobo Center is one of Detroit’s main economic engines. Automakers began pulling out of the show in recent years, citing inadequate space and aging facilities.

Last year, Michigan lawmakers and Gov. Jennifer Granholm approved bills that created a new bond-issuing authority to control Cobo and float debt to finance a $288 million, 166,000-square-foot expansion.

The board, however, recently opted for a scaled-back plan after it hired a consultant that said a 25,000- to 50,000-square-foot expansion and improvements should be enough to accommodate events.

The Detroit Regional Convention ­Facility Authority, the five-member board that runs Cobo, voted unanimously last Thursday to approve the consultant’s recommendations. 

“An immediate needs expansion in the short term allows us to best serve our customers today while paying close attention to market demands,” authority chairman Larry Alexander said in a press release. “The next step is to transform Cobo Center into a destination location for local residents and national visitors, which will generate more revenue for the facility to operate well into the future.”

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