DePaul Univ.'s proposed 10,000-seat arena next to the McCormick Place convention center "will be built for more than its projected cost," according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS. The Metropolitan Pier & Exposition Authority (McPier) on Tuesday "approved a proposal from a venture led by Clark Construction Group to build the new McCormick Place Event Center" for $164M, or about 17% "more than it expected to spend" when the project was announced in May '13. In addition, the base floor of the building "will be at ground level as opposed to 22 feet below ground, which was in the previous design." Other changes to the design "include an elevated main concourse level and a new entrance and lobby on the southwest corner of the building, which will include a grand staircase and escalators up to the main concourse." The new design eliminated one planned pavilion, but it "retains much of the glass exterior as originally planned." McPier officials estimate that they "won't break ground until May or June ... as a result of the delay in awarding the construction contract." The project is "expected to take two years and therefore won't be completed until mid-2017." The original plan was "to complete the project in time" for the '16-17 hoops season (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 11/25). In Chicago, Sandra Guy reports the arena "will remain a 50-50 partnership" with DePaul despite the increased cost. Besides DePaul basketball games, the arena "will host concerts, amateur sports and other events" (SUNTIMES.com, 11/25).
