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Big dreams to expand Milwaukee`s convention center
Big dreams to expand Milwaukee`s convention center
MILWAUKEE (WITI) -- The Milwaukee Center District is considering a plan to expand the Wisconsin Center - and build a sleek glass-covered walkway to connect the convention center with a possible new arena. But will those dreams ever become a reality? That could be a question of both price and politics.
"If dreams became a reality there could be a corridor between the convention center and this new arena building that would be a "come to" place for commerce and for recreation, and it would be something like Millennium Park," Frank Gimbel -- the chairman of the Wisconsin Center Board said.
The Wisconsin Center Board oversees key downtown Milwaukee venues -- including the U.S. Cellular Arena, the Milwaukee Theatre and the Wisconsin Center.
Gimbel is leading the effort to expand the Wisconsin Center.
"There's no question that expanding the convention center is job-creating and the indirect dollars it would contribute to the community are substantial," Gimbel said.
On Wednesday, May 14th, the Wisconsin Center Board reviewed a study that included a market analysis -- comparing Milwaukee's convention space with other similar cities.
"We rank them against their competitors, and Milwaukee has fallen towards the bottom in terms of the space they had," Thomas Hazinski, who authored the study said.
The study recommends a $200 million expansion.
"Doing nothing means losing ground," Hazinski said.
"Modern arenas are built with entertainment centers around. Convention centers are built with entertainment around. It's a greater economic impact, but it also creates a sense of place," VISIT Milwaukee's President and CEO Paul Upchurch said.
The convention center has gone through several name changes over the years -- from Midwest, to Frontier, to Delta -- to the Wisconsin Center.
Gimbel says a $200 million investment in the convention center would lead to more show space and more meeting rooms -- but it would require public investment.
"We have to have the public be willing to put some skin in the game. Skin in the game means taxes," Gimbel said.
Those taxes could be in the form of a sales tax increase -- or a hospitality tax increase, which is largely paid for by out-of-towners.
Either way, Gimbel says it's a good public investment.
Projections show an expansion of the convention center could lead to more than $115 million worth of spending downtown every year.
CLICK HERE to ready the entire feasibility analysis for the Wisconsin Center expansion.