John Hill’s column on the potential of a convention center is off the mark on many aspects of the concept and benefits of a convention center and meeting space at the Historic Gas Plant site. It’s the kind of uninformed, knee-jerk response that stifles innovation and progress.
First, having served on the Pinellas County Commission for 20 years, including three times as chair of the Tourist Development Council, I know that a medium-sized convention space has long been discussed as a need on this side of the bay. We miss out on opportunities for meetings and conventions routinely because we lack a space that meets the needs of these types of events.
Secondly, the scope of a potential convention center would not “replace Tropicana Field,” nor would it dominate the 86 acres of the Historic Gas Plant District. There would still be ample space for the other community-identified priorities, including mixed-income housing, green space, office space and opportunities for unique partnerships and job-producing developments in the health, arts and innovation sectors. That can all happen within the existing footprint of parking lots to the east of the Trop and Booker Creek…