Denver to Fund Convention Center Expansion With a New 'Tourism Improvement District'

"Hotel industry leaders received a green light Monday from the Denver City Council to initiate a new kind of tourism tax that would help pay for a rooftop expansion on the Colorado Convention Center," reports Jon Murray.

"The city’s convention center project calls for an 80,000-square-foot ballroom and a 50,000-square-foot outdoor terrace with mountain and downtown views, built atop the existing parking garage," adds Murray. "The project also includes technology upgrades and renovations of three downstairs lobbies."

Hotels will still need to approve the district, which will add a one percent surcharge when staying at Denver hotels with more than 50 rooms. There are actually several layers of approvals required from the hotel industry, as Murray details in the article. The cost of the project has increased a great deal since the original proposal—up to $233 million from $104 million.