$200M Duke Energy Convention Center expansion gets county approval

Sharon Coolidge, Cincinnati Enquirer
Updated ·1 min read
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An artist's rendering what downtown Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center renovation and expansion will look like. Construction is expected to start July 1.
An artist's rendering what downtown Cincinnati's Duke Energy Convention Center renovation and expansion will look like. Construction is expected to start July 1.

A $200 million renovation of the Duke Energy Convention Center is a go after the board of Hamilton County Commissioner voted to put $10 million into the project − the final piece of funding needed.

The city of Cincinnati voted last week to bring city funding for the project up to $30 million. The county previously approved another $5 million.

This project is months in the making and will expand the convention center, which will be part of a new convention center district being developed by Cincinnati Center City Development Corp. Details about the hotel portion of the project will come later, Hamilton County Administrator Jeff Aluotto said.

The vote was 2-0, with Board of Commissioners President Alicia Reece abstaining because she wanted more information about the hotel before committing support for the project.

"This is a seminal moment, not only because it's related to a part of town under-utilized and under-resourced," Hamilton County Commissioner Denise Driehaus said. "This project is going to ... reinvigorate the region."

Construction is set to start July 1 and last 18 months, during which time the convention center will be closed.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: The Duke Energy Convention Center rennovation gets final funding