Wasn't that the rallying cry?

Looks like it might not happen. Now the question is: Had this happended under Detroit control would there have been 'outrage' over the city's incompetence and dragging their feet on something so important.

Why do I expect the tone to be very different now that it is the region dragging their feet on the expansion? Why do I expect that people would be bitching about dropping 100K on a study if this were done by the city?

Cobo expansion may not happen

Jim Lynch / The Detroit News

Detroit -- The expansion of Cobo Center, considered by some to be necessary for keeping the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, may not take place.
Officials with the Detroit Regional Convention Facility Authority, which operates Cobo, have funded a market study to determine whether an expansion of the 50-year-old facility is necessary. In recent years, members of the Detroit Area Auto Dealers have said the convention center needs to be expanded to host the auto show, which is one of the biggest annual events hosted by the city.
The authority hired Minneapolis-based consulting firm Conventions, Sports & Leisure to study the need for the expansion. That report, which will cost the authority as much as $100,000, will be delivered by June.
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"We believe that once the strategic plan comes back evaluating Detroit's market as well as markets across the county and comparable facilities, we'll have a better idea of how we should move forward," said Jamaine Dickens, a spokesman for the authority.
He added members of the auto dealers group will be involved at every step of the decision-making process.
The authority, which took control of Cobo in September, is made up of representatives from Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties, Detroit and the state.
Plans have been in the works for a $288 million expansion that could add at least 166,000 square-feet. The facility's current configuration features roughly 700,000 feet.


From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100413/...#ixzz0l0FRi2vQ