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The Plano City Council approved Monday an ordinance to appropriate $49,000 from the city’s convention and tourism fund to provide additional funds to conduct a feasibility study for a Plano Convention Center.

Last year, another study was conducted to consider various locations within city limits to construct a convention center. The contractor, HVS Convention Sports & Entertainment Facilities Consulting, studied five different areas of the city in the yearlong feasibility study: east of Central Expressway on the George Bush Turnpike, west of Central Expressway on the George Bush Turnpike, Collin Creek Mall area, Dallas North Tollway area near Legacy Center and the existing Plano Centre.

According to the previous study, of the five locations, two seemed most viable: the existing Plano Centre area and the Dallas North Tollway area. The Dallas North Tollway area was the preferred site due to the adjacent neighborhood developments and overall destination appeal. The current Plano Centre facility came in at a close second with respect to financial considerations.

The latest study is a more focused study that will consider the specifics of choosing one location as a potential site. If a site along the Dallas North Tollway were to be chosen, building a new convention center with an attached hotel – similar to the Renaissance Dallas Richardson Hotel adjacent to the Eisemann Center for Performing Arts – could be considered. If it was determined that the existing Plano Centre was the best option, the city would have to look into repurposing it and the areas around the facility.

Mayor Phil Dyer said the study will help the city determine when to take action in securing the land needed for a site.

“To an extent, this study is a continuation of last year’s study in that it’s accessing the potential locations that previously came up,” he said. “Lots of potential locations came up along the Dallas North Tollway and lots of people have felt that the corridor would be the best place for a convention center for a long time.”

With that in mind, the sooner the results come in, the sooner the council can make plans to move forward.

“A facility like that will need a pretty good size of land, and before long, the piece of land there will be unobtainable,” Dyer said. “Considering the future scarcity of the land, we need to know whether or not it’s the right time to secure the land.”

If the study shows that a site along the Dallas North Tollway is not likely, the council can turn its attention back toward Plano Centre.

Events and conventions may be held regularly at the Plano Centre, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to revenue. The study will determine what can be done to put Plano and its convention center back on the map.

“Plano Centre is very successful in attracting events based on the scope and scale of the facility, but it does not allow for overnight events,” Dyer said. “It has long been the hope of city leaders to bring in events that cause people to stay two, three or four nights, and the facility is not there yet.”

Lee Dunlap, Place 8 city councilman, said the study is one of several that has considered more options to keep Plano relevant in the convention center front.

“The question is whether or not the Plano Centre is being utilized to its fullest potential,” he said. “The study is a broad, global look at where a convention center could be located and be advantageous in attracting visitors with the kinds of events that would take place there.”

On a site that is about 1 mile from the main highway and thoroughfare, the existing Plano Centre facility does not have many options for travelers to eat or stay.

“The idea for a convention center is for businesses and corporations to host events and have restaurants and retail nearby,” said Ben Harris, Place 2 councilman. “We’re losing business to other nearby convention centers that have those things.”

Harris said the city will have three options after the study is complete: to continue operations as they stand and stay the course, get out of the convention center business altogether or to continue to invest in studies for a potential convention center with an attached hotel.

“Plano Centre loses money every year,” he said. “That’s not a very good thing considering we have a budget deficit looming.”

Dunlap said that the study is not a problem, but an opportunity to city leaders to find ways to keep Plano as a relevant destination for corporations and businesses as well as local civic groups.

“As a community grows, so must its facilities,” Dunlap said. “If anything is done, we want to utilize the city’s resources wisely and optimize spending.”

Neither Dyer, Dunlap nor Harris have a preference to where a new convention center would be located if the council were to move forward with plans to establish a new facility. But one thing is agreed: the council is not frivolously spending money in light of a projected $30 million budget deficit.

“The funds are not coming out of the city’s general funds. The city’s hotel/motel fund is completely different [from the city’s general funds] with a very specific purpose and cannot be transferred to the general funds to fix the deficit,” Harris said. “This is just another one of those planning steps for the council to consider down the line; by no means is this something we anticipate to move forward with soon.”