Buffalo Place says the obsolence of the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center may become a bigger issue if Erie County doesn’t invest in a new and larger facility. The question everyone is asking is how much would a new center cost.
Erie County Department of Environment and Planning Commissioner Tom Hersey says there is a lot to consider when estimating the total cost of renovating the existing center or building a new one.
"Along with a new facility and the cost of that, we're going to assess the cost of staff and the resources in the budget," Hersey said.
Buffalo Place is on record that a new convention center would be good for downtown. But the group's board is not yet backing a specific location.
Ellicott Development Co-Chairman Carl Paladino questioned if the benefits of a new convention center would be worth potentially spending $300 million.
The county has been taking public comments on the idea for a new convention center over the past few months.
The current convention center is 40 years old.
