Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Having good convention center space can be an economic development tool.

That’s what Springfield Sangamon Growth Alliance CEO Ryan McCrady told the Sangamon County Board, when they voted to impose a three-percent hotel-motel tax that will pay for the construction of the BOS Center.

McCrady says the county can’t afford to wait much longer on this project, or costs will go up.

“Growth can be uncomfortable; and many times, it’s hard for us to make decisions to do things, unless the cost of doing nothing exceeds the cost of doing something,” said McCrady.  “That’s what we’re looking at tonight.  With the cost increases that are moving ahead, as we delay the expansion of the Bank of Springfield Center, you’re going to end up paying more for the same opportunity in the future if we don’t act now.”

McCrady says expanding the BOS Center will bring demand for hotel rooms in the community.  But, he also says he agrees with reviewing the tax rate at some point.

Sangamon County Board member Annette Fulgenzi said the proposal is quite the “Catch-22” for various reasons — not the least of which is the state of downtown Springfield right now.

“How are we going to overcome the fact that, basically, the sidewalks are rolled up at night downtown, and then we have a lot of vagrants downtown?” asked Fulgenzi (R-District 17).  “How do we overcome all these obstacles, and get people to invest in the downtown?  It’s just one of those things; if we don’t have those amenities, meeting planners look at that as well.”

A manager on the project said that, as the saying goes, “If you built it, they will come,” saying that once expansion starts, others will start pulling city building permits to improve their own downtown properties.

Then, there’s the issue of some members of the public claiming data relating to the project has been misrepresenting.

While not a hotel or convention center downtown, Alan Filer is general manager of the Crown Plaza on Stevenson Drive. He claims the size of his facility has been inaccurately portrayed.

“The study (a feasibility study produced in 2024) incorrectly reflects our 73,000 square feet of space, saying it only has 13,500 square feet of continuous space, which is inaccurate,” said Filer.  “The first floor plaza level is almost 30,000 square feet alone.  The second floor ballroom is almost 15,000 square feet alone.  That doesn’t even include the third floor meeting space and all the pre-function space that the hotel has to offer, and is used every day by our guests.”

Filer also opposed the tax, and how it’s being passed on to visitors, he claims.

Project managers have said convention organizers are looking for spaces that have high ceilings, more natural lightings, and other things, compared to the alleged darkness and basement-level nature of the BOS Center meeting space.

The $60,000,000 project is still allegedly two years away from breaking ground.