Jacob K. Javits Center

The unanimous vote means that the next steps for the project include a public hearing which will be held next month. After a 30-day comment period, the plan must then be affirmed by the CCDC and ESDC boards. The GPP must also be approved by the Javits Operating Corp. and the Public Authority Control Board.

A spokesperson for the Hell's Kitchen/Hudson Yards Alliance, a coalition of elected officials and community leaders from the West Side of Manhattan, says that while the group "strongly support a major expansion for Javits, this plan isn't good enough. We are disappointed that the Development Corporation Board is voting today on a draft plan for Javits that falls short on the promised expansion. This is a desperate attempt to demonstrate some concrete progress on a major taxpayer-funded initiative."

This first phase of the two phase expansion will increase exhibit and meeting room space to more than approximately 1.3 million sf. The project will also include the construction of a Convention Center Headquarters Hotel and the creation of a multifunction, screening, loading and marshalling facility. By the completion of Phase I, the Javits Center will more than double in size.