A plan to expand New York City's Jacob Javits Convention Center has overcome its last hurdle: New York State's top elected officials have unanimously approved public funding for the $1.7-billion project.The project will increase the center's exhibit space by 45 percent, to 1.1 million square feet, and meeting room space by 600 percent, to 210,000 square feet. The plan also calls for the construction of a convention hotel across the street with approximately 1,250 guest rooms. Construction is scheduled to begin before year end, with a 2010 completion.The long-delayed plan to expand the center, located in midtown Manhattan, will allow the city to compete for bigger conventions and trade shows as well as events that can take place concurrently. Jonathan Tisch, chairman of NYC & Company, the city's convention bureau, says the expansion "will bring New York City back to the forefront of the convention business." The bureau has already secured nine new conventions for the expanded center, representing 310,000 hotel room-nights, according to Tisch. With the expansion, the Javits Center will become the eighth-largest convention center in North America. Financing for the expansion, from state and municipal sources, includes a city hotel tax increase of $1.50 per night.