By Khalida Sarwari
San Jose is moving forward with a $120 million project to expand and renovate the San Jose McEnery Convention Center.
The City Council voted Tuesday afternoon on several appropriations that will allow the project to proceed.
“I look forward to seeing construction start very soon,” Mayor Chuck Reed said, following a unanimous vote.
At a news conference announcing the project prior to the council meeting, Reed said the expansion and renovation of the center will help San Jose remain competitive.
The project includes the addition of 125,000 square feet of meeting and ballroom space and the renovation of the 22-year-old center’s ventilation system.
Michelle McGurk, a spokeswoman for Reed, said construction is expected to get under way soon and will begin with the demolition of the former Martin Luther King Jr. Main Library.
The center will remain open during construction, McGurk said.
The city has sold $138.4 million in bonds to finance the project, McGurk said. Additionally, the city’s downtown hoteliers agreed in 2009 to institute a special 4 percent tax on top of the existing hotel tax to pay the debt.
To date, the tax has generated more than $7.1 million, McGurk said.
“Given the city’s budget challenges, it is critical to note and thank San Jose hotel owners for investing in the center’s upgrade and to highlight the value that this project has to our long-term economic growth,” McGurk said.