Javits Expands

Javits Expands
Although the Javits Convention Center's planned expansion has been overshadowed by all the talk about the Jets Stadium, the project is still active, with the selection of a design firm soon to be announced.

The $1.4 billion expansion would increase the floor space of the center from 760,000 to more than 1.3 million square feet, which, according to a statement from Governor George Pataki‚s office, could generate an estimated $53 million in combined annual tax revenue.

Pataki first proposed the idea on June 3, 2004, entrusting the project to the New York Convention Center Development Corporation (CCDC), a subsidiary of the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC), the organization responsible for the original center, built in 1986.

The proposal called for two expansion phases, though the second phase, which includes plans for a garage, is not currently under consideration.

The first phase would extend the center south to 33rd Street and north to 40th Street, and would include a 1,500-room hotel and a 6,000-capacity ballroom, the largest in the city.

In fall 2004, the CCDC asked Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum (HOK) to design a concept plan for the Environmental Impact Statement, which was later approved by the city.

Pataki and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unveiled this plan on March 25, 2005, as part of