Monterey Conference Center renovation construction starts next week

The Monterey Conference Center is the largest meeting center on the Peninsula; not to mention, an iconic building in the heart of downtown.

Built 38 years ago, stakeholders have been talking about renovations for more than a decade.

“Well, we were losing some conference share,” Monterey City Manager Mike McCarthy said. “We were losing some to Napa and Santa Barbara because of the aging conference center […] So now, we know this will bring them back and actually attract even more.”

Construction on what will be a LEED-certified building will begin December 7. It’s a big project, in fact, the largest capital improvement project in the city’s history. That comes with a $61 million price tag, but project leaders say it will return a big economic boost.

“It will include advanced technology,” McCarthy said. “… Complete building re-design so we’ll be able to allow two major conferences at the same time.”

“This lobby is going to be two open floors. It will be fully exposed with glass,” Conference Center General Manager Bob Cowdrey said.

The goal is to make Monterey a destination for conferences. But the project will mean construction noise and traffic. Nearby restaurant Cibo has dealt with this before.

“We’ve made it work, and we always get through it,” Cibo Assist. General Manager Abbas Zanganeh said. “And the end result is going to be prosperous, so it’s going to be nice.”

A soft opening is expected in the the fall of 2016, with the grand opening in early 2017.